


If I ever feel better

by Kantinator



Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Bonding, Comfort/Angst, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Minor Violence, Panic Attacks, Partying, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kantinator/pseuds/Kantinator
Summary: Monster prom is rapidly approaching and the color squad has spent the past couple of weeks flirting with their hot and charismatic classmates. Except for Oz. He never saw the point of prom, so he didn't bother.But that's about to change. After a fateful incident in the cafeteria, which raises a lot of questions about what he actually wants, he meets with the party ghost herself, Polly Geist, and the following nights turn to be the most fun ones in Oz's existence. But his doubts are ever so slightly increasing, and he is still uncertain about what he desires.Will his adventures with Polly help him figure it all out, whether for better or worse?Loosely based on the PARTY ending.
Relationships: Blue | Vicky & Green | Brian & Red | Amira & Yellow | Oz (Monster Prom), Blue | Vicky/Scott Howl, Green | Brian/Damien LaVey, Polly Geist/Yellow | Oz, Vera Oberlin/Red | Amira
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! I hope you're having a good morning/day/evening/afternoon/night. I have been working on this fic (which is my first one, not of monster prom but of anything, haha) for well over two months, and I'm very proud of what I've written, so, I hope you can enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. :)
> 
> Also, the title of the fic and of the chapters is based on the song "If I ever feel better" by Phoenix, it's a really good song and I recommend you check it out!
> 
> With all of that said, here's the fic. Enjoy.

The ocean waves slowly crashed against the beach. The sun had risen up, painting the previously pitch-black night with warm colors. After a night of pure mayhem and unadulterated chaos, Oz felt tired. The fearling was sitting on the sand, just mindlessly watching the horizon, where the ascending sun and the ocean meet. And beside him the one responsible for the exciting night—no, exciting week—he had recently experienced.

His favorite party ghost. Well, not that he knew about other party ghosts, but still, it’s the thought that counts. And even though he had so much fun with said party ghost…

Oz has no idea of how he got to that moment. He couldn’t believe that he got this far with Polly.

And he is not talking about the last 10-or-so drug-filled hours that basically felt like a fever dream to him. No, he’s talking about the last week.

He remembers how it all started, though.

About three weeks ago, Oz and his group of best friends (the PC’s, the color squad, however you want to call them) gathered up at lunch and agreed to try and take one of the 6 of the most charismatic and attractive classmates of their class to prom. Everyone except for Oz. He hadn’t made any advances toward any of his fellow classmates.

It’s not that he didn’t want to take anyone, although he didn’t really have a problem going on his own; as long as Oz had his friends with him he was sure the night was going to be special.

Oz didn’t feel like he had a lot to offer. He wasn’t exactly the most confident or the one with the most silver tongue out there. Oz knew that, maybe, he wasn’t made for this. But again, he was happy spending the night with his friends. That’s all he needed.

Or at least that what he thought.


	2. Losing balance on the tightrope

The bell ringed, announcing the start of lunchtime. Hundreds of students started swarming onto the cafeteria, choosing tables to sit on and bicker about.

Oz, as always, took a seat with his favorite three people in the world. It seemed like they already started to talk without him. Oz saw Brian with his head on the table, mumbling barely above an audible level in a monotone voice:

“-and then he started saying that I was a creep.”

Amira scoffed. “Damn. Tough luck, Brian.”

“Oh, Brian…” Vicky comfortingly put her hand on Brian’s shoulder. “I’m sure you still have a chance with Damien.”

“I should’ve known he already had a tattoo like that…”

The green zombie was behaving as monotonously as he did every day, but Oz knew Brian long enough to know that this deeply troubled him. Brian wasn’t the best at conveying his emotions, but the other three started understanding him better as they spent more time together.

“What’s up, guys?” Oz said as he took his own seat.

Amira reclined back in her chair. “Not much. Just discussing about the people we were planning to take to prom.”

Oh yeah. Prom.

“Things have been going great with Vera”, Amira continued as she put her legs on the table. “She asked for my help to make her become Prom queen. Which I thought it was weird since she normally wouldn’t give a shit about those things, but she’s actually doing it to own the rest of the bitches in this school, which I am all for.”

Vicky smiled from cheek to cheek, while Brian just gave a thumbs up, still slumped on the table.

“Last night I helped Scott find a hiding spot for his bones. It felt so romantic… Well, as romantic as digging dirt and burying bones can be…” The frankengirl stared thoughtfully at the ceiling “...Would that be reverse archaeology…?”

“Anyways,” Amira turned to Oz “How about you, yellow? How’s your quest for booty going?” The djinn moves her eyebrows up and down, expectantly, while Vicky turns to face Amira, with a faint blush.

“Amira!”

“What? You know what’s going on.” Amira looked at Vicky with a sly look.

But Oz was too busy to notice that. The moment that question left Amira’s lips, he was frozen in place, trying to search for an answer.

He was feeling nervous just trying to answer the question. But why? He knew that it was ok if he couldn’t really take anyone to prom. But like a seed, doubt started to grow onto him.

_What if?_

_What if they did care? What if it wasn’t that trivial? Would they really be with him on prom if he doesn’t manage to get a date? Even if they did, they would have to leave him eventually to focus on their dates, right? And then he would be alone, wouldn’t he? Alone for the rest of the night, alone for the rest of the school year, alone for the rest of eternity… Alone alone alone alonealonealonealonealo-_

“Oz? Oz!”

Oz flinched at Brian’s sudden voice, taking him out of his internal loathing. The three monsters were now facing Oz, with a look of concern on their faces.

Oz had to think of something fast.

“Uh yeah, p-prom huh? Wow, prom really is approaching quickly, y-you guys.” Oz was fumbling over his words, avoiding eye contact with the three monsters- “I, uh… wow, I’m feeling quite stuffed, and… Oh darn! I have homework left to do, I… gotta go” Oz quickly blurted out while getting up from his chair.

“Wha- you haven’t even touched your food!”

But Oz wasn’t paying attention to what Vicky was saying. He was already on his way out of the cafeteria, with plenty of thoughts flooding his mind.

* * *

Loud single steps resonated throughout Spooky High’s hallways. A shadow being sprinted as fast as he could across campus, trying to leave what had just happened, and his general thoughts, behind. But, just as quickly as he was running, they came back.

_Wow. Really? You’re stuffed? You have to do homework? Nice excuse Oz, you can’t even lie to your friends properly._

Oz wanted to let out a shout, even if it wasn’t going to change anything, but he found himself unable to. Oz had been running for quite a while, and he wasn’t the most athletic student at the school, to be fair. But he wasn’t going to stop suddenly on the floor and break down crying. What if anyone passed by, and saw him like that? What would they thi-

_Bathroom._

A single thought crossed his mind. In front of him was, indeed, a bathroom. Quite a good place to have an emotional breakdown, if there ever was one. Oz suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm, but he was too agitated to notice.

Without giving any second thought about it, he busted through the door, headed to the nearest stall, locked himself in, and let his thoughts flood his mind. He closed his eyes as hard as he could and started to breathe deeply, hoping to calm himself down and assess the situation. It took him a while before the voices in his head stopped talking.

What had happened back there? It was so… sudden. It only took one simple question to put him in that fight or flight mode, and he definitely chose to fly.

It was kind of ironic, actually. Being the embodiment of fear, fear itself, yet being afraid of something, at first glance, so… Trivial. Sure, Oz wasn’t the most confident out there, but nothing had actually made him react so erratically.

The pain that he hadn’t noticed before came back, and Oz recoiled at the stinging sensation. He hastily unrolled his sleeve to check on his arm, and he discovered the source of the pain.

It was one of his phobias. But something was… off about it. It had the shape and the color, but it didn’t have a face. And it didn’t feel like a part of his body, like the phobias that he placed on his shoulders. He looked at them to see if they had anything to say about whatever he had in his arm, but both of them shrugged, not having a clue about it.

_“That’s weird.”_ Oz thought. _“I don’t feel a lot when one of these come out on their own. But for it to cause pain…”_ He extended his hand to softly touch the lump in his arm, but even the slightest touch provoked ache. He rolled his sleeve back, the anomaly in his arm perfectly hidden by it.

But that mystery would have to wait. Oz knew he had to go back to class. Time flew by while he was trying to calm himself, and Oz didn’t even know if the next class had started already.

_“I hope that Brian, Vicky, and Amira were the only ones to notice me”_ The fearling wished to himself, while he was reaching for the stall door…

But then the bathroom door opened.

Oz was taken by surprise so much that he stumbled back and almost fell on the toilet.

Oh yeah, the thing about school bathrooms? They’re public. Maybe not the best place to cry and think about your problems.

And it wasn’t the wind, or a wild animal (which happens more often than you’d think); from the steps and the chatter, he could definitely conclude that students walked in.

Well… What now? There was no way Oz was stepping out of the stall; sure, he had already calmed himself down, but he still looked like a mess nonetheless. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this.

There was no other option but to remain there and wait for the students to leave. Oz could hear them talking. As much as he didn’t want to unconsciously eavesdrop, it’s not like he had any choice in the matter. He took a deep, quiet breath to stop panicking, and focused on the voices, and he heard…

“-and then that same 5 eyed T-rex must have carried me home, ‘cause I woke up in my bed! What a kind dinosaur.”

That voice… bold, cheerful, outgoing… Polly Geist, if his memory didn’t fail him. Oz didn’t know her personally, but it was hard to not notice her every day. In Spooky High, a place already crazy enough, she was the ghostly embodiment of fun. Be it replacing the school’s pool with vodka, taming wild animals in the cafeteria, or just the biggest pranks ever, she was the epitome of madness, living every day of her afterlife like it was the last.

“Polly. For the last time. I was with you at that party, I know what happened. There wasn’t even a dinosaur there, you were high as balls and I had to take you home myself!”

“Don’t take Mr. T-Rex’s credit!” Polly retorted, and she continued in a low and tearful voice “…Some people just don’t know how to appreciate you, Mr. T-Rex…”

The other voice… Vera Oberlin. Oz definitely knew who she was. Again, not because he knew her personally. Vera made a… different type of impact than Vera. While Polly was the ghost of party past, present, and yet to come, Vera was a ruthless businesswoman. The fierce gorgon was able to make money out of any situation possible, and she didn’t take any shit from anyone. So, it was understandable why Amira was going after her. Oz silently wished her good luck.

“Ugh, whatever” Vera responded.

A few seconds passed before Polly bluntly asked “So… how are things going with Amira?”. Oz didn’t need to open the door to know Polly’s expression. And Vera’s.

“Hng- “

It was rare to see—or rather listen—Vera being caught off guard. Oz could hear Polly quietly giggle at Vera’s situation.

“Wha-? How-? “Vera stopped stuttering, and took a deep breath, trying to turn back to her usual, confident self. Polly’s laughter increased the longer Vera remained in silence.

“Stop laughing! What are you talking about?” Vera demanded, the snakes on her head hissing.

“Oh c’mon! I’m dead, not blind! Did you think I wouldn’t notice how you behave around her?” Polly teasingly asked.

The gorgon scoffed, trying to deflect Polly’s accusations. “I have no idea what you mean. You must be as high as last night if you’re rambling like this.”

“Well, I am absolutely shitfaced, I’ll admit that…” The ghost confessed. “but that has nothing to do with what I said! You just don’t want to admit that you may feel something for her.”

Oz heard hurried steps walking away from the bathroom as Vera said “We’re gonna be late for P.E. Let’s go.”

“What are you…?” Polly started to ask before realizing what Vera was doing. She ran to the door and screamed. “You can’t run away from it, Vera!”. Polly laughed loudly to taunt Vera, and she kept laughing until she was chuckling to herself. She stopped and just sighed, a smile of satisfaction on her face—or so Oz imagined.

“I crack myself up. Vera looks cute when she’s flustered, tho.” The ghost muttered to herself. “I need to catch her off guard more often.”

With that said, Oz heard Polly float away from the bathroom, presumably going to the gym too.

Well… That was certainly something. Oz was not going to lie; he was rather entertained with what happened. Even though he didn’t want to eavesdrop, Oz had to admit that it had helped him take his mind away from what had happened recently.

“ _Well, leave it to Polly to make any time a good time.”_ Oz thought.

Oz reached for the door handle to exit the stall, he had to get to the gym on time if he didn’t want to be late.

“Hey boo!”

“Aaaah- “

_*Splash*_

…

_“Did I seriously not put the toilet seat down?”_

* * *

There she was. The party ghost, Polly Geist, had phased her head through the stall door to give Oz the scare (ironic) of his life. And it worked. It worked so well… that now Oz had his ass soaked with toilet water. Well, at least the last monster to go to that stall had the decency to flush the toilet.

“H-Hey there Polly, didn’t see you there…” Said Oz sheepishly, while he stood up from the toilet. The ghost didn’t seem to care about Oz’s toilet water soaked pants and started questioning him right away.

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t see me, but you sure as hell heard me and Vera!”

Shit.

“How did you know I was even here?”

“Don’t ya know, boo?” Said the ghost, as she tilted her head. “It’s part of being a ghost. With my ghooooostly powers, I can deteeeect people aroouund meeeee” Polly explained with a spooky voice.

“Really?” Oz genuinely asked.

Polly laughed. “No you dummy, I saw your feet below the stall door.”

Oh.

“R-right. I guess I didn’t think of that.” Oz admitted. And he suddenly realized the situation he was in.

He was in the bathroom. Alone. With. Polly. Motherfucking. Geist.

And there was no one nearby, presumably in class already.

Oz’s mind immediately began to short circuit.

_“Ohshitoshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit”_

Just thinking of the possibilities was enough to make Oz’s face red, as red as a face made from fear can get, I guess. Which is more than you would think.

_“No Oz! Stop being horny!”_ Oz exclaimed in his head, trying to calm himself down, but to no avail. Horny highschooler hormones are the most powerful chemical there is in this universe, right after whatever drug was potent enough to make Polly faint with one sniff. And speaking of Polly… 

“Uhhhhh, dude? Are you not gonna say anything? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love being watched like you are doing right now…” Polly admitted with a smug look on her face. “Buuuut I feel like you definitely need to explain yourself here.”

“Looking you like…” It took a few moments for Oz to realize what Polly meant. “N-No, no! I-I wasn’t… I didn’t… It’s not like that!” Oz finally stuttered.

Oz was in a bit of a predicament. He didn’t have enough charm to speak his way out of this situation, so time for plan B… Tell the truth.

“L-Look, I was just here, ok? It was a coincidence. I just went to the bathroom and you two just happened to get here at the same time as me.”

Well, Oz definitely left some details out, like the reason he actually came to the bathroom, but he wasn’t lying either. He just hoped that it would be enough to get out of the awkward situation.

“Let’s just forget about this and head to class, we’re already late to P.E.” Oz said, reaching for the door, in hopes that it would be enough for Polly to stop questioning him. As long as the ghost didn’t stop him, it was fine.

Polly, who up to this point was only a head in the door, wasn’t having it. Her face turned into a pout.

“Oh no, you’re not getting out of this one that easily, shadow boy”.

Before Oz could say anything, Polly fully phased through the door and stood up in front of him, arms crossed. Oz recoiled at the sudden movement and took a step back. Now she was mere centimeters away from Oz’s face.

Polly was right there. In probably the most compact place possible, in the most awkward situation possible, almost touching if Oz didn’t step back enough to maintain at least a sliver of distance between each other. _Almost. Touching._

“ _Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck”_

Oz had calmed down enough to be able to properly talk to her, but this sent him back to square one. His face turned furiously red, even more than before. It was as if he was never this physically close with anyone in his existence… Oh, wait.

“W-What are you doing!?!” Oz asked frantically. This got out of hand, real fast.

Polly was slowly closing the distance between her and Oz.

“I just want you to tell me the truth, Oz.” Polly shot a pleading look at Oz. “You can do that for me… right?”

It was hard to ignore that stare; it was as if the ghost had cast a spell on him. He couldn’t look away. Amidst all this, Oz couldn’t help but wonder…

Why? Why was Polly doing this? Was this a prank or something? The situation seemed too trivial for this much interrogation. Did Polly care that much about what Oz did?

Nevertheless, going to the bathroom was a mistake.

“I…Um…” Oz began to stutter. He was too nervous to answer coherently. But, as he saw Polly getting closer and closer, he knew he had to say something. So he built up all the courage he could and confessed.

“I just- “Oz could only manage to say a few words before he got interrupted. By what, you may ask.

By Polly’s laugh.

She took a few seconds to calm down enough to say anything coherent. “Oh my god, you should’ve seen your face, dude!” Polly said before phasing out through the door and breaking into laughter again. Oz sat on the toilet (with the lid down this time) completely dumfounded.

So it was all a prank. He skipped a class, got his ass wet, and got interrogated, just for a prank.

Oz was too tired to deal with all of this.

He simply stood up from the toilet seat and made his way to the next class. As much as he wanted to give Polly a piece of his mind, he concluded that it wasn’t worth it and walked away from the bathroom without talking to her.

As he retired from the bathroom, he didn’t even have time to think about what happened before he felt a familiar presence. I mean, of course it felt familiar, he was inches away from her just seconds ago.

Apparently, Polly decided to follow Oz back to class. He could feel Polly drifting beside him, mouth shut. Oz guessed that the ghost noticed that he wasn’t exactly all that happy with what she did. He saw Polly hesitating from the corner of his eye, seemingly wanting to say something. At least she felt remorseful of what she did, or so Oz thought.

“So… I’ve been watching you recently”.

_“Is that what you are really going to open up with?”_ Oz wished to say, but he refrained. He really didn’t want to confront her, he just wanted to be left alone. So Oz let her continue.

“I’ve been thinking of a little project of my own for a while… and I think you’d be the perfect partner for it!” Polly said, excitedly.

Oz did not share the same enthusiasm.

“So if you’re interested we can exchange phone numbers, and when I’m ready to start I’ll text ya!”

Oz stopped on his tracks and turn back to face Polly. He looked at her and maintained his stare for a few seconds before sighing in defeat.

“Ok, fine, I guess…” Oz said indifferently, pulling out his cell phone from his pocket. They exchanged cellphones so they could add each other on their own.

“Nice! You won’t regret it, I promise you. Well, I’ll be heading to class right now. See ya later, shadow boy!” Polly waved goodbye, and Oz waved back, albeit not with the same emotion.

Oz stood there for a few seconds before muttering to himself:

“That was the weirdest way of asking someone for their phone number in the history of ever.”

And it would be wise to take his word for it, seeing as how he is pretty much a timeless being. I mean, was all of that in the bathroom necessary? Or…

Was Polly slightly mad at Oz for eavesdropping on her and Vera? Amidst all of the playful behavior that she usually displayed, Oz hadn’t really seen her being so serious while retaining her frisky attitude. Oz made a mental note to apologize for that, even if it wasn’t entirely his fault.

He kept putting more thought into their previous encounter until a sudden realization struck him. One about what he had in his hand.

Polly’s number.

He looked at the number that Polly herself introduced in his phone, seemingly naming herself “fav party ghost”.

Oz’s face softened, and an indistinguishable, small grin rose upon his face. 

Maybe going to the bathroom wasn’t such a mistake after all.

* * *

The school bell that marked the end of the daily academic routine finally rung. Oz picked up his Fearistry 101 textbook and exited the classroom. It was the only class that he was able to get to in time after his encounter with Polly, so he made sure to pay full attention to not miss anything (even though he is literally made out of fear so he definitely knows more than the teacher).

But even though he was concentrated on the class, he couldn’t help but think about his three other friends. He hadn’t seen them all day, they were surely worried about him leaving in such a sudden way. 

“Oz! There you are!” A certain happy voice exclaimed. Oz barely had enough time to turn around to the direction of the voice before being tackled with a hug by a blue streak, making him stumble back. When he recovered his balance, he realized who was that blue streak.

“Vicky?”

Oz lifted his head as he heard more steps coming towards him, those steps being from Amira and Brian. It seemed that Vicky rushed ahead of the rest of the squad.

“Hey, Oz! Where were you?” Amira opened up, followed up by Brian.

“We haven’t seen you all evening. We were starting to get worried.”

Vicky broke the hug and asked: “Yeah, especially after your exit from the cafeteria. What happened back there? Is everything ok?”

“Uh yeah, I just…”

_“Oh shit.”_ Oz thought. He wasn’t ready to answer that question. _“C’mon Oz, they’re your friends! You can be truthful with them.”_

“…I was feeling really sick, so I rushed over to the infirmary.”

_“Goddamnit.”_

Why was it so hard for Oz to confess about his problems? He trusted his friends, the four of them were very close. So why was it such a hassle to open up to them?

Then, a thought entered Oz’s mind.

_“Do I even know what’s going on with me?”_

He was too busy feeling feelings and overthinking stuff to actually ruminate about the whole situation. He hadn’t had the time to actually think about how he felt. Back there in the cafeteria, it was like this giant wave of worry and insecurity overwhelmed him out of nowhere.

Well, one thing was certain. Oz didn’t have an answer to the question that loomed over him. If he couldn’t give a coherent explanation to himself, how did he expect to disclose his inner turmoil to his close friends?

As much as Oz disliked the idea, he needed to hide the truth, just for now. Until he could put his thoughts in order.

“Sorry for worrying you guys like that, but I’m alright now.” Oz continued with his lie.

Vicky glared at Oz with a relieved look.

“Well, we’re just glad that it was nothing serious. If something happens, you know you can tell us, right?”

“Of course.” Oz instantly said.

“Great! Now that that’s done, what do you all say we go to Papa Faun’s?”

Oz suddenly felt a buzz in his back pocket.

“Oh finally!” Brian exclaimed. “I was getting hungry.”

“Never heard of that place before.” Amirah punched her fists together, with a smile on her face. “That food better be damn good, Vicky!”

“Awesome! What do you say, Oz?

But Oz had his eyes on his phone, the source of the buzzing he just felt. And on the phone’s screen, there was one message that Oz just received. One message that made his heart skip a beat.

_“hay bby lez party”_

Oz didn’t need to see the message’s sender to know it came from Polly.

Why now? Oz didn’t expect Polly to contact him this soon. To be honest, what even was this “little project of her own” that she talked about? Oz had no idea of what he was getting himself into with the ghost.

_What if it’s just a prank? Just to laugh at your face, again. It probably is, someone like Polly wouldn’t need anything from you. No one needs anything from you, Oz. You’re just an obstacle, you annoy everyone._

“Oz? You there?”

Oz perked up to see that Vicky was looking at him, with a worried expression. The _“Are you sure everything is ok?”_ expression. It was the cafeteria incident all over again. But this time he wouldn’t make his friends worry about him.

“I’m… sorry everyone, I have to group up with some classmates to organize a project for school.” Oz lied. “But I won’t be gone for too long; just save a seat for me.”

“Oh. Ok…” Vicky just said, with an almost gloomy voice.

“Well then, see you later Oz. Good luck on your project, I guess.” Amirah awkwardly waved goodbye as Oz started walking away, and the two other friends soon followed.

Oz looked behind him as he stepped away and waved back, trying to understand his friend’s unreadable expressions, and with a sense of guilt in his chest, wondering how much more would he had to lie until he could open up to them.

Unclear if they had believed his lie or not, Oz went to the bathrooms, where he had last encountered with Polly. That was his first guess as to where to meet up, as Polly had left the location of their reunion completely unclear because of course she did, it’s Polly we’re talking about.

And it would be a correct guess, as Oz noticed Polly floating just outside of the bathroom’s door.

“Hey, you got my text! That’s good, ‘cause I need some help brainstorming.”

Well, at least she really did need Oz’s help and it wasn’t a prank at all. That helped Oz calm down, as he prepared for what she had to say…


	3. Whatever it is, it can't be named

Oz shot his eyes open, waking up from his slumber, just to be immediately met with pain. So much pain. He slowly rose up from his bed, putting his hand on his head.

“Ow… Where the hell am I?”

“In your room.” A bitter voice answered Oz’s question.

Oz looked to the voice’s direction. “Brian? Wait…” Oz closed his eyes as he tried to recall the events prior to his awakening in his bed.

_“Costume party… Tax attorneys… Humans… Polly… Oh. Oh shit.”_ Oz shot his eyes wide open as he put the puzzle pieces together and figured out what had happened.

It was about Polly’s project. As far as he could remember, the ghost had told Oz about a costume party she was going to go to, but she was sure that it was going to be lame, even with her great sexy tax attorney costume.

_“So… got any ideas to help spice things up?”_ Oz could remember Polly asking him. From that moment onward, everything felt like a blur to him. He could only remember certain details. He either suggested spiking the drinks with a plant that turned monsters into humans, or he dressed up with Polly as a sexy tax evader. Both of those ideas sounded equally plausible. What else…

Most of all, he remembered having a blast with Polly. Oz had certainly heard of her reputation, but he never could’ve imagined the experience of seeing Polly be the after-life of the party. Oh, and also the copious amount of drugs that they tried. Of course, Oz wasn’t a party monster like Polly, so he tried stuff little by little, but he guessed that whatever substance he was trying so little from, it was strong enough to leave his ass completely blacked out. Or he was a complete lightweight who would feel dizzy just by the faint smell of liquor. He really couldn’t remember.

At the end of the day, he had enjoyed himself, and Polly’s presence too. One more memory tried to pop on his mind, but the only detail Oz could remember was Polly and him alone, in the backyard of the party’s location, high out of their minds, in deep conversation, before the headaches came back.

Except for the hangover part. He had a blast except for the hangover part.

“Ow, shit” Oz cursed as he put a hand on his head. A hand stretched out to him, holding something.

“Here.” Brian said. Upon closer inspection, Oz concluded that Brian was handing him a banana. Oz shot at him a look of confusion as he took the fruit with his hands.

“It’s for the hangover…” Oz was about to ask when did he learn that when Brian continued. “…Or at least that’s what the note said.”

“Note? What note?” Oz was left to ask.

“The note we found in our front door, along with your blacked out body.”

Oz shot his eyes wide open for the second time, as a sudden feeling of guilt all throughout his being prompted him to start rambling an apology.

“Oh no, Brian, I-I’m…” But Brian held his palm up in front of Oz, interrupting him.

“Hold it. I need to get the others before you start to say anything.”

Brian stood up and walked to the door. He started to open it, before shooting a last glare at Oz, as he sat on his bed.

“While I’m gone, you better think of a good explanation to all of this, Oz.” Brian said, with a cold voice. He exited the room.

Before he could even begin to worry, another headache emerged.

“Damn it… Stupid hangover… I can’t think like this!” Oz cursed out loud, before noticing the banana he had in his hand.

Oz looked at it for a few seconds before peeling it off and taking a bite.

Well, it wasn’t an instant cure, but it was something. Enough to let him think clearly. Think clearly about how much he screwed up.

This was bad. The only thing Oz could think of was how much he had let his friends down. He couldn’t imagine what his friends felt from not only Oz not going with them to the restaurant like he promised, but also from discovering him passed out in front of their house, with a note pretty much confirming that he was having fun somewhere else.

_“If Polly hadn’t left me a note, I would be able to lie my way out of this one…”_ But as soon as that thought ended in his mind, Oz felt a massive wave of disgust with himself.

“Argh! What am I doing thinking about lying to them? Haven’t I lied enough?!” Oz voiced to himself loudly. A few tears, born from regret, dropped from his eyes.

How could Oz do that to his friends? Even if he wasn’t ready to tell the truth, his lies and half-truths ended up hurting his friends.

_The only thing you know how to do is ruin friendships, Oz. The moment you decided to lie to them, you had already betrayed their trust. They will probably stop being your friends after this._

Despite self-loathing thoughts taking a hold of his mind, he made a decision.

“Even if they won’t trust me anymore after this, the only thing I can do right now is to confess.” Oz muttered to himself. “I have to come clean, then I’ll see what happens.”

As Oz reached a resolution, the door opened. Oz felt tense for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and filling himself with determination, expecting the worse.

Brian, Amira, and Vicky, one after the other, entered the room. The trio approached Oz, with each one of them displaying different expressions.

Brian was serious, as he always was, but that passive face could exhibit bitterness if he so desired, and Oz totally felt it.

Amira was much more straightforward; her glower and her frown were enough to make it clear that she was upset. Not furious or angered, just upset.

And Vicky, she was frowning too, but not out of anger, rather, out of disappointment. Oz kept thinking about how he had hurt his friends but seeing Vicky’s expression made him actually feel their sorrow.

“I…” Oz darted his eyes around the room, not sure where to look. Slowly, he built enough courage to look into the eyes of the people he had upset. Oz took a deep breath to calm himself as much as possible before he started talking.

“I’m sorry.” Oz spoke. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you guys like this. You were my closest friends, and I betrayed your trust.” As he spoke, Oz started to feel a lump in his throat. He took a second to clear his voice as much as he could and continued.

“I know it won’t change what I did, but the least that you deserve, apart from an apology, would be an explanation. So, I would appreciate it if you’d let me explain myself.”

The room stayed in silence, the only thing breaking it was Oz’s accelerated heartbeat.

It remained like that for a few moments until Vicky finally broke it with a deep sigh.

“What happened, Oz? What made you do this?”

“I went out with Polly. To a party.” Oz admitted, waiting for his friend’s reaction.

Amira was the one to speak up this time. “We… already know that, Oz.”

Oz shot a look of mild confusion before Brian elaborated. “I mean, the note I talked about was signed by her”. The zombie took out the note from his pocket and showed it to Oz, who hadn’t seen it up to this moment.

_“~Hey Boo!~_

_If you’re reading this, you’ve probably just woken up feeling like shit. For someone who doesn’t regularly consume drugs, you took a while to completely shut down. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it!_

_But in the meantime, I left you a lil’ something to help with the hangover after. And I promise, it’s not used… ~~well, maybe a little bit~~_

_I had a lot of fun with you last night! Talk to you later, shadow boy._

_From your favorite party ghost,_

_Polly.”_

A single “oh” was Oz’s reaction.

Ignoring the comment about the thing Polly left him, Oz was a little surprised to know that she cared about him. Enough to drag his ass back to his house. Wait, how did she know where he lived…?

“Oz… the problem is not where did you go or who were you with. You’re totally allowed to hang out with other people.” Vicky started explaining. “But… why did you lie about it? We waited for you all evening. We thought… we thought something had happened to you.” As she continued, it proved harder for her to keep speaking. Her words came from a place of heartache. Those words represented the trio’s feelings, as if they felt like they weren’t enough for Oz…

Just as Oz had felt before.

That was enough to get him to confess. Oz wouldn’t let his closest friends experience the same feelings he had been for a few days now. Even if he still didn’t know what words to exactly use. And so, he started to talk.

“I’ve… been having these thoughts. These unshakable and inexplicable feelings of… worry, anxiety, doubt, and… Heh, funny enough, fear.” Oz could feel his friend’s eyes fixated on him, even though he was looking away.

“They just come out of nowhere, and fill my mind, completely invading it. That’s why I’ve been acting weird since yesterday.”

“Like… that one time in the cafeteria?” Brian asked.

“It all _started_ in the cafeteria. Right after…” Oz clarified. And as he remembered briefly what happened back then, it clicked. “Right after you started talking about who you were gonna take to prom.”

Discovering the possible source of his anguish, Oz took a moment to think about what he wanted to say next.

“Trying to put this into words is challenging, so please bear with me.” Oz lifted his face up to look at his friends in the eyes, with a sense of resolve. These next words would be the most important ones, not only for his friends, but for himself.

“I’ve been feeling alone and helpless. Like I’m not, and never will be, enough. And it may be because of the incoming prom.” With a subtle sentiment of embarrassment, Oz let himself fall on his bed and faced the roof of his bedroom as he continued.

“And I know that’s kinda dumb. Like, prom is just one night where everyone dances uncomfortably close with one another and gets drunk. It’s something so… meaningless, I guess. Something that I shouldn’t be taking that seriously. But no matter how trivial I think it is, these thoughts still take over my mind. I feel like if I don’t get a date for prom night, I’ll be alone for the rest of my existence, even though that sounds ridiculous.”

Oz took one last breath before he finished with his apology.

“But, at last, that’s a reason, not an excuse. I shouldn’t have lied to you, and more importantly, I should have told you about how I felt. So, for the last time…” He closed his eyes as he delivered the last words.

“I’m sorry.”

He remained in his position, waiting for the reaction of his closest friends. But he didn’t hear a single word. Instead, he felt something weighing down on his bed. Mildly startled, he opened his eyes and looked to his left and right.

They were laying down on the bed with him. Amira on his right, Brian and Vicky on his left.

Before Oz could question what they were doing, Amira started speaking.

“Oz… We had no idea you were feeling like that.” Amira was usually the type to say whatever she wanted, so it was quite unusual to see her being sensible. “But I still don’t understand why you had to hide that from us.”

“Well, at the time I wasn’t sure about how I felt. I was overwhelmed by all that I was experiencing. I didn’t want to make you all worried about me, so I decided to not tell you until I had everything figured out.”

“That kinda backfired, don’t you think?” Amira responded back, followed by a light chuckle from her.

That was enough to relieve some of the tension in the room. Oz let out a brief laugh.

“Yeah… I guess it did.”

“Not gonna lie, Oz.” Brian started to say, half awkwardly. “What you did… kinda shitty. But we understand what happened. I’m not that good talking about feelings and stuff, but what I want to say is… You can trust us, Oz. And we trust you too.” Oz just smiled at Brian, appreciating that, despite the zombie’s awkwardness, he tried for Oz.

“I mean, how couldn’t we? We’ve been close friends since…” Vicky tried her best to remember as she took a few seconds, but to no avail. “Well, as long as I can remember, honestly.” She finished with a grin.

“I’m sorry if I made you think that I didn’t trust you.” Oz apologized again. “Of course I do, it’s just… hard.” He simply said, with no better word to describe his situation.

“It may be hard, but we can do it together, Oz.” Vicky claimed as she stretched her arms towards Oz to hug him, also hugging Brian in the process, who was in between the two of them. “Group hug!”. Amira promptly became part of the hug too.

And Oz couldn’t help but smile, tearing up from their affection, and feeling lucky for having such amazing friends. He couldn’t believe that they would’ve forgiven him like that. Oz swore to himself that he would not let them down again. “Thank you, guys.”

“Don’t sweat it, Oz. We’re here for you.” Brian reassured him, giving him a pat on the back of his arm, but as soon as the zombie did that, Oz flinched and he hissed in pain. He knew what that pain meant.

“Whoa, are you okay, dude?” Brian asked in concern. Oz ignored his question and broke the hug, quickly rolling up his sleeve to check if it was still there, even if he could guess the answer.

“Damn, I thought it had disappeared!” Oz groaned. He had such a great time last night that he must’ve forgotten about the anomaly. Or… had it really disappeared, but it just came back once he had woken up? The whole situation was certainly strange.

“What are you talking about, Oz?” Vicky questioned beside him. Oh right, he hadn’t told them about that yet. Well, he wasn’t planning on hiding anything anymore, so he might as well just inform them.

“Oh yeah, about that. I don’t know all the details, but this grew out of my arm right after…” Oz’s words trailed off as he came to a realization. “Right after what happened in the cafeteria.”

“Doesn’t that look just like the ones on your shoulders?” Amira pointed to the lump on Oz’s arm.

“Well, yeah, they _look_ like it, but this one is different.” Oz clarified. “It doesn’t have a face or arms, and even though it hurts, it doesn’t feel like it’s part of my body. It’s just… there.”

“Have you thought of going to the infirmary?” Vicky proposed.

“Eh… I don’t know… I doubt the school’s nurse would know anything about this.” Oz refused, crossing his arms. “Besides, it’s not a big deal. It just hurts when I touch it, I’ll be fine.” The other three weren’t so sure about Oz’s dismissal.

“Are you sure?” Brian raised a question and an eyebrow. “If it gets any worse, just make sure to tell us, alright?”

Oz gave a thumbs up to indicate agreement.

“So, now that all that mushy talk is over, I wanna ask… How the fuck did you manage to get into a party with **_the_** Polly Geist?”. Amira asked as she got up from the bed. Brian and Vicky soon followed and the three of them were standing in front of Oz, just like a few minutes ago.

“Huh… Now that you mention it, I am kinda curious too.” Brian said.

That’s right. Oz hadn’t explained his encounter with Polly yet. He decided to spare his friends the details and get straight to the point.

“Well… I really didn’t _do_ anything. She was the one who came to me, asking me to help her with “a project of her own”, whatever that means…” Oz said, nonchalantly, looking to the side in mild embarrassment as he remembered what happened a day ago in the bathrooms. Seconds of an odd silence passed before Oz steered his sight towards his friends and he flinched slightly, seeing as the trio were looking at him with intrigue and even surprise. They locked eyes until Amira put a hand on the side of her mouth and whispered to Brian, pretending to be secretive but talking loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I think that _someone_ is hungry for a piece of Oz, if you know what I mean…” She said as she elbowed Brian while raising her eyebrows.

“WHA- “Oz couldn’t even finish reacting to Amira’s comment before she broke into laughter. Brian chuckled too, although not as loudly as Amira, and Vicky was giggling at his side, covering her mouth with her hand trying to hide it but failing.

Even though he was the one who was being teased, Oz couldn’t help but smirk too. But of course, he also felt embarrassed at Amira’s innuendo.

“W-What are y-you talking about!? I-It’s not like that…” Oz quickly replied.

“ _It’s not like that…_ ” Brian repeated, almost mockingly. “Dude, she asked you out.”

Just the thought of Polly thinking about him like that was enough to make Oz furiously flush. But that wasn’t her intention… right?

“That’s not what happened! She…” Oz stopped as he frenetically thought of more words to describe what Polly wanted from him. “She requested… my help for… a task… Yeah! T-that was only a one-time thing. It’s not like Polly wants to see me again or anything…”

“Well, maybe she knew how much of a nerd you are and tried to put it on lame terms or something.” Brian teased him.

Oh, so that’s how he was going to go about it? Oz was ready to shoot back, with a wide grin and a raised eyebrow.

“Takes one to know one, Brian.”

Amira and Vicky immediately screamed in amazement and excitement at Oz’s sudden clap back. Brian was genuinely taken aback for a few seconds until he started laughing to himself and put his hands up to feign surrender.

“Shit, Oz, you got me there.”

It took a few moments for the craze to fade out.

“Well Oz, you can think whatever you want about Polly…” Vicky started saying, looking for something around the room. She apparently found whatever she was looking for, and handed it to Oz. “But you can’t deny that she cares about you… At least a little bit.”

What Oz had in his hands was the note that was the topic of conversation minutes ago.

“Hmm. Yeah, whatever.” Oz tried to shrug it off, but it stuck to his mind, without any intention to leave. Deep down, he truly did wonder what Polly’s intentions were… But, before he started to ruminate, Oz came up with another idea, involving his friends.

“Well, I’m getting hungry, so let’s go.” Oz simply said, turning around to walk out the room.

“Go… where?” Amira asked, and Oz smiled, expecting that reaction. “Well…” He turned around. “I do believe I owe you some pizzas, don’t I?” Her face turned from confusion to excitement.

“Hell yeah! Now you’re speaking my language.” Amira fiercely responded.

“Brunch time!” Vicky celebrated beside her.

Wait, brunch?

“Eh, I was craving some Wendygo’s…” Brian calmly said. “But pizza’s fine, I guess.” The group of friends made their way out of the room, Oz following right behind, checking his phone. Vicky’s comment made him realize that he absolutely had no idea of what time of the day it was. He turned his phone on to check it out…

_Saturday_

_11:34 a.m._

Oz just spent approximately half an hour talking to his friends, so he woke up around 11 a.m.

Huh. With all that had happened last night, he thought he had woken up much, much later. It was a delight to find out that he hadn’t completely ruined his sleep schedule.

_Ding._

Oz instinctively pulled his phone close to his chest in a hurry. He barely looked at the new notification he received before he panicked, but he had a strong feeling of what it was.

The other three had turned around, seemingly having heard the notification too, with raised eyebrows and knowing smiles. Another _ding_ sounded.

A silent exchange happened as Oz locked eyes with them for a few moments before slowly pulling his phone away from his chest and drifting his eyes downwards to the phone’s lock screen.

**[11:35 a.m.]**

**fav party ghost:**

_hey boo~ how r u feeling?_

_just woke up btw_

“So… what did she say?” Vicky questioned.

Oz refuted, without hesitation. “I never said that Polly messaged me!” He immediately recognized his screw up.

“I never said anything about Polly.” Vicky declared, with a winning grin.

Oz groaned in defeat.

“She asked me if I was feeling well.” He confessed.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Answer her, dude.” Brian suggested. “In the mean-time, I’ll call a Howlber to pick us up.” The zombie pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. Oz took a seat and started typing whatever came to his mind, with no particular idea of what to answer with.

_Hey! I’m doing good, thank you for asking._ Hmmm… Too enthusiastic. He deleted what he had written and started from zero.

_Hey, Im doing good, thanks for asking_. It still sounded a little too polite. Oz normally chatted like this, but Polly would totally think of it as too formal. Back to square one.

_hei bby wats gud._ Yeah… No. Oz both mentally and physically cringed at his unsent message. That would probably be right in Polly’s alley, but a little too much for him, and not reflective of who he was at all.

Oz was so absorbed on his writing that he didn’t notice the two girls who sat beside him, attentively looking at Oz’s attempts at answering a relatively easy message.

“Oof, Oz… I wouldn’t send that if I were you.” Oz flinched at Amira’s remark.

“How long have you- “

“Hmm… Oz, have you tried not thinking about it too much?” Vicky suggested, semi-teasing and with a hint of sincerity.

“Oh, gee, have you tried, I don’t know… Let me have a shred of privacy?” Oz shot back, mildly annoyed but playful.

Vicky gave a short laugh before sharing her suggestion.

“In all seriousness, Oz, you do know that Polly is… just a girl, right? There’s no reason to overthink it.”

“Yeah, and Scott is ‘just a boy’.” Oz responded with air quotes. “But we all know what happens when you chat with him.”

Wait, why was he comparing Polly with Vicky’s love interest? Oz made it seem like he was going through the same crush-induced panic Vicky surely underwent when he _obviously_ didn’t feel that way about Polly… right?

Fortunately for him, Vicky was too offended to notice Oz’s slip of the tongue.

“Wha- Don’t expose me like that!” Vicky exclaimed, with a blush on her face, while Amira tried to conceal a laugh.

“Damn Oz, you’re on fire today! And that’s coming from me.” Amirah remarked with a smug.

Vicky sighed and tried once again to help Oz.

“What I’m trying to say is that sometimes we blow things out of proportion- “

“Like you.” Amira interrupted, grinning. Vicky closed her eyes shut at the djinn’s sudden comment, annoyed. She opened her eyes to address Amira.

“Yes, Amira. Like me. Anyways…” Vicky simply said before turning back to Oz to continue her previous words. “Sometimes, you just have to relax and say whatever you want to say. Don’t place her on a pedestal. She’s still just a monster… Just like you.”

Oz took a few moments to digest Vicky’s words. Her opinion did have some truth in it, he supposed. With his nerves calmed, he looked at his phone screen and oh shit he just realized he had left her on read all this time he was panicking oh shit, oh fuck. Oz typed the most logical response he could think of as quickly as he could and hit send.

_hey_

Well, that’s a start. Oz swiftly wrote more of his unfinished message.

_im doing mostly well, thanks for asking :)_

_and thanks for the banana, I didn’t know those helped with hangovers lol_

_“And sent. Time to play the waiting game.”_ Oz remarked in his mind.

**_fav party ghost is writing…_ **

****

Oz looked at his phone’s screen, subconsciously counting the time before Polly’s message. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Amira and Vicky waiting for the next text, still dismissing his plea of privacy. He reluctantly decided against protesting their breach, concluding that they would be too stubborn about it. A peculiar sound took his attention away from his friends and back to his phone.

_im glad your well_

_you took longer than i expected to black out, im honestly surprised o_o_

Amira and Vicky both laid eyes on Oz with slightly surprised eyes, almost as to ask without any words: _“What exactly was ‘longer than expected’?”_ Oz shrugged and explained.

“I don’t have a lot of memories from last night, to be honest.” As he started typing a similar response to Polly, she had already sent him a message.

_and yeah, bananas have **lots** of uses, if you catch my drift ;)_

Even though that message caught him off guard, Oz couldn’t help but laugh. Not even through text was he safe from Polly’s innuendos and antics. As he wondered why was he even surprised about that (like, c’mon, it’s Polly we’re talking about), Oz pressed send on the message he was previously writing and immediately followed up with a _lmao_ to answer her comment.

“Alright, the cab’s almost here, get rea- “Brian turned around and stopped in the middle of his words when he saw his three other friends huddled together on the couch with their eyes fixated to Oz’s phone. As if he had asked _“What the hell are you doing?”_ , Amira contributed an answer.

“We’re just observing Oz’s love life in action.” Oz’s face intensely reddened at her remark.

“T-There’s no ‘love’ in this life!” Oz nervously opposed with a rather sad statement, but he realized that the more he denied, the more he was proving his friend’s point. Before he could defend–or expose–himself any further, Oz’s phone rang once again, with a familiar sound, indicating yet another message from the ghost.

_in any case, i had lots of fun with ya last night <3_

_i may or may not have more projects like that planned, so…_

_be prepared ;)_

Oz’s previous blush came back, more pleasantly this time. His reaction was just as pleasant, genuinely surprised that Polly actually wanted to hang out more with him. He didn’t really have any reason to think the opposite, but to be fair, the whole situation was unbelievable to him. Oz did not hesitate with his response.

_i’ll be ready >:) _

And once more, he was texted back.

_that’s the spirit! (haha, get it?)_

That got a chuckle out of Oz. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Vicky staring at him, with a smug, knowing smile and raised eyebrows. Here came the teasing again.

“Whatever happened to ‘only a one-time thing’?”

“Shut up.” He simply replied smiling, not even denying or refuting anything anymore.

Oz had a lot of fun to look forward to.


	4. True like ice

Silence. All that Oz could hear was silence. That, and the weak sound of flipping pages, pencils scratching in papers, and clicking from the computers. The library was a great place to hang out and obtain money either via crypto mining, gambling or, crowdfunding fraud. And for studying and homework too, I guess. Which was exactly what Oz was doing. Amidst all the daily shenanigans that he had come to experience in Spooky High, Oz still needed to make time for his schoolwork. He _is_ in school, after all.

_“And… done! My history essay is complete.”_ Oz looked at his work from top to bottom, looking for any mistakes. This week was particularly lighter on assignments, so that was the last one that he had pending. After he checked, he printed out his essay, stored it in his folder, and headed out of the library. The book-filled room was located on the upper part of the whole building, so Oz had to walk a rather lengthy set of stairs to get to his locker and get ready for his next class, which was the last one for the day. While he was descending, Oz quickly reached for his phone to check how much time he had left until the following class.

_Tuesday_

_12:47 p.m._

“So I have around 15 minutes before Rituals & Séances class…” Oz muttered to himself. _“That’s quite some time for myself… I’ll get something from the cafeteria’s vending machine before the recess ends.”_ He continued in his thoughts.

He finally got to the bottom of the staircase and went to leave his books. After walking through the hallway, he found his locker and opened it. The metal storage was neatly organized, with books organized by size, a schedule containing the times of each class, and a polaroid of that one time when the color squad went camping on vacation. Oz smiled fondly as he reminisced, thinking about going there again next summer. He put the books that he was holding back in his locker and closed it.

Once it was closed, Oz was immediately met with darkness. He had shut his eyes closed in reaction to his head being covered with a piece of clothing. Someone had thrown it to him. As he opened his eyes to make sense of the situation, Oz caught a prominent smell. Like alcohol, but not just any alcohol. A certain type of wine.

“Polly?” Oz made a guess.

“Wha-How did you know it was me?” The ghost asked. Oz removed the piece of clothing from his head to confirm that it was in fact Polly, facing him with a pout. He noticed that the piece of clothing was a lab coat. Was this from that human costume party?

“Well, if you wanted to go unnoticed, making your toilet wine beforehand is a bad idea. You know how strong the smell can get.” Oz had a taste of Polly’s popular toilet wine back at their last party. Thinking about it now, that was probably the last drink he had before his memories from that night started getting fuzzy. The drink was as strong as the aforementioned smell. A cocktail that truly resembled Polly’s persona. She let out a laugh.

“Huh, so you _do_ remember!”

“Barely.” Oz answered with a smile before pointing at the lab coat. “So, what’s this all about?” Polly took the coat from his hands and put it on.

A cute outfit for her, Oz thought. It made her curves more noticeable, and it matched the color of her pretty eyes and… Oh damn it, he was thinking about her again, wasn’t he?

Throughout these last days, Oz had slightly come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to the ghost—his friends having a large influence in that acknowledgement. He had found himself thinking about her more and more after revealing to his friends that he was hanging out with her.

_“But like, that doesn’t mean anything. I just think she’s pretty—and she is! That doesn’t mean I like her or anything. Not that she would think of me like that…”_ Oz tried to assure himself.

But even though Polly was taking more space on his mind than before, he didn’t feel very nervous when he was around her. At least, not as nervous as he was on their first encounter. He felt confident when he was talking with her, making jokes and not stuttering, as opposed to when he met new people.

“Oz? Oz!” Polly called out his name while snapping her fingers, taking him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? W-what?” Oz said, clearly startled.

“You getting sleepy on me, shadow boy?”

“Ah, I-I was… ahem… I was d-distracted. S-sorry.” Oz quickly apologized.

Well, not stuttering except when he was caught off guard. That didn’t count.

“Oh, distracted… Were you getting an eyeful?” Polly insinuated, with a smug face. “It’s fine, I don’t blame you. But you better listen this time.”

Oz looked away and blushed at her comment. She really enjoyed teasing the ever-living hell out of him, didn’t she?

“Y-yeah…” Oz put his hand behind his head, embarrassed.

“So… That human party convinced me I want to be a scientist.” Oz wondered how did the two of those things correlated before Polly answered his unsaid question with enthusiasm. “But not just any kind… a PARTY SCIENTIST!”

“A what now?” Oz asked, confused.

“A party scientist! A scientist who’s dedicated to discovering the secret of the RADDEST PARTY.” Polly explained. Oz was one hundred percent sure that that wasn’t a legitimate branch of science, but who was he to say what someone could and couldn’t do? Polly continued describing her new found aspiration. “Through a series of extremely scientific experiments, I aim to discover what exactly makes a party good… So I can DISTILL WHATEVER IT IS INTO A VIAL AND DRINK IT!” She exclaimed with starry eyes. “Or, you know, just have really dope parties all the time.”

Ah. That was more on Polly’s lane, Oz thought. “And I’m guessing you’re gonna want some help with that?”

“You bet your beautiful ass I do!” Polly complimented him nonchalantly, causing him to blush and laugh. “I’m going to a bar mitzvah tonight, and I’ll need your scientific advice to see what can we do to push the party over the edge! Are you in?”

Oz gave a fierce look. “Let’s crash this little boy’s celebration!”

“That’s what I wanted to hear! I’ll fill you in on the details later. Until then, see ya later!” Polly waved goodbye as she walked down the hallway, Oz not knowing where she was headed. He waved back as he felt a kind of fuzzy feeling inside of him. Just seeing her eager smile as she turned around the corner to probably play a prank on an unsuspecting monster…

Oz exhaled dejectedly as he tried to pretend that he didn’t know what those feelings meant, but to no avail. His thoughts about her were a mess… On one hand, Oz wanted to keep hanging out with Polly, no matter what he felt or what he thought. She was a fun person to be around with and Oz was glad that she chose him to be his scientific partner. But on the other hand, the more he hanged out with Polly, the more he felt and thought. What if he ended up falling in love with her? And if that happened, what if Polly didn’t feel the same way? What if Oz made it awkward? What if she stopped hanging out with him because of some stupid feelings?

_She would never think of you that way. She’s too beautiful for you. She’s too bold for you. She’s too fun for you. She’s too cheerful for you. She’s too much for you…_

_And you’re not enough for her._

“If someone had told me that Oz was eager to go to a party where he didn’t know anyone, I would’ve called them crazy. Which wouldn’t be really an insult, this school is filled with crazy people.” Oz snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see a familiar tall green shape.

“Hey, Brian.” Oz greeted him, trying his best to pretend that he wasn’t just having self-loathing thoughts, and he saw that the zombie was holding some snacks and two cans of soda. Before Oz could ask, Brian answered.

“I brought you a little something. I saw that you went to the library and just recently came out, so I thought that you’d be craving something to eat.” Brian handed Oz a bag of chips and a can of soda. Oz opened the potato chips and just now realized how hungry he actually was. As he started eating, he sat on the ground, and Brian followed, a sizzling sound signifying the opening of a soda can.

Oz, still chewing down potato chips with his usually hidden mouth, broke the silence.

“So… how are things between you and Damien? Last time I heard… it wasn’t good.” A singular deprecating laugh came from the zombie before he answered. “That’s a simple way to put it. But actually, things have been going really well. Last night, I helped him hide a body.” Brian smiled while Oz looked at him with a deadpan.

“Ok…”

“I know it sounds weird,” Brian clarified once he took notice of Oz’s expression. “But it’s more romantic than it sounds. I just found a random garage, which was coincidentally full of more bodies, and told him it was mine. Damien totally believed it. He can be such a doof sometimes…”

“Um… Good for you, I guess…” Oz awkwardly congratulated, not knowing what words to use.

“How’s your arm doing? Is that strange lump gone for good yet?”

“Unfortunately, no, but…” Oz rolled down his sleeve to show Brian his arm. “It’s getting smaller, and it doesn’t pain me as much. I only feel it when I press my arm against something. It’s more of an annoyance now, really.”

“That’s good news. Hope it heals completely.”

“Thanks, green.” Oz smiled.

His smile faded as the conversation sunk into silence once again. Oz couldn’t stall it anymore. He had to talk about Polly. He wasn’t going to keep it inside like he mistakenly had before. As he thought of what he was going to say, his arm started getting itchy, but he just scratched it and started talking.

“I’ve…been worried, Brian.” Oz simply said.

“What’s been eating your mind?” Brian ironically said, Oz not knowing if he said it like that on purpose.

“It’s Polly. I’ve been enjoying hanging out with her these past few days and I’ve been having fun. I like being around her. And, may I even say, I think I… I…” Oz found himself at a loss of words, not knowing how to end explaining his feelings. Luckily, the zombie was more than willing to complete Oz’s sentence.

“You love her?”

“Uhhhh…” Oz uttered a single sound of unsureness, and the more he kept making it, the more he blushed. “Love” was too strong of a word to describe his feelings, at least for now.

“I prefer to use the term ‘attracted to’.”

“Whatever floats your boat.” Brian said, with a shrug.

“Right. Anyways…” Oz continued explaining. “I’ve been thinking more and more about her, but I just don’t know what to do if I hypothetically do end up falling in love with her—which to clarify, I’m not.” He unnecessarily cleared up, gaining an odd look from Brian. “I guess… I guess I’m afraid that she won’t feel the same. Like, what if I make it weird? What if I confess and she doesn’t want to be with me anymore? I don’t want things to change…” Oz mirrored his thoughts with words.

Brian remained silent for a few moments, seemingly thinking of what to say. He turned to his side to stare at Oz in the eyes.

“Oz, I need you to respond as truthfully as you can. Do you like Polly?”

“I…” Oz let out an annoyed exhale. “I don’t know, Brian. I like going to parties with her, she can make any night unforgivable. She’s fun, bold, confident, beautiful—that one kinda goes without saying—and the way she smiles and laughs…” Oz stopped talking as he caught himself going off on a tangent about the ghost. He sheepishly cleared up his throat. “The point is… My mind has been a mess and I don’t know what to do. Maybe I do like her… but I’m just not ready to say it.” Oz admitted.

“Hmm... I understand what you’re going through, Oz. It’s just fear of rejection.” Brian started explaining. “It’s normal to feel that way. We don’t know how other people think about us, so we tend to assume the worst. This type of stuff can be so complicated… and yet, so simple at the same time.”

“What do you mean by that?” Oz asked.

“You said that you’re not sure what your feelings are? Cross that bridge when you get to it.” Brian suggested. “Go on more nights with Polly, hang out more with her, spend more time with her. That’s what you want, is it not? Just try to figure everything out before you think of more what if’s.”

Oz took a moment to take in Brian’s words. In a way, what the zombie said was true. But the moment that he was worried about would arrive sooner or later. He wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings forever.

“So, when I finally figure out my feelings for Polly, then what?”

“Confess.” Brian bluntly proposed. Before Oz could object, the zombie continued. “And I know. You’re thinking that it would be too blunt or too straightforward. And you would be right. But getting an answer to your question is ten times better than leaving said question unanswered before it’s too late. I’m sure you know the consequences of bottling up your feelings.” Brian said, alluding to what had happened a few days ago.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Oz displayed a troubled look, surely thinking of the worst possible outcome. Brian tried to cheer him up.

“You want me to be honest, Oz? There’s no way she would reject you.” Oz sighed.

“Brian, you don’t have to lie…”

“No, let me finish.” The zombie interrupted Oz and put his hands on Oz’s shoulders, determined in encouraging his shadowy friend. “Oz, you’re the real deal. You’re smart, handsome, you have a good sense of humor. Sure, maybe you’re a bit shy, and maybe your boldness is not up to par for someone like Polly. But you are trying. You’re going out there, on parties and adventures, and that’s something that Polly really admires. You are always open to new experiences. And as long as you keep being you, I’m confident that Polly will see something in you, just as you see something in her. Maybe she already has.” Brian finished, with a supportive smile.

And all that Oz did was stare back, stunned. Was he really all of those things? He finally smiled, tearing up a little. He wiped away a tear, thankful for having such an amazing friend by his side.

“I don’t agree one hundred percent with what you’ve said…” Oz admitted. “But thanks for the words, Brian. You’re a great friend.”

“Hey, anything for my shadow bro.” Brian extended out a clenched fist, with a clear request. “You got this.” Oz reached out with his own fist, bumping Brian’s. 

As if it were on cue, the bell ringed.

“Huh, just in time.” Brian got up from his spot on the floor, and Oz followed. “What class do we have now?” The zombie asked as they walked through the hallway.

“Rituals and Séances.”

Brian groaned. “I hate that class. I always fall asleep while the teacher is explaining.”

“To be fair, you fall asleep in almost every class.” Oz amicably teased. The zombie put his hand on the back of his head. “Heh, I guess you’re right. I probably need to catch up on my classes… Think you can help me?”

“Of course!” Oz agreed to help Brian. They continued walking towards their next class, as Oz repeated Brian’s reassuring words in his mind, almost like a mantra.

_You got this, Oz. You got this._


	5. Remind me to spend some good time with you

From the dimly lit streets, two figures walked without a clear destination, giggling and slightly stumbling. Oz and Polly were in deep conversation after the events of that night—or rather, last night, seeing as Oz’s clock had already struck midnight when he checked in the middle of his chat with the ghost. They were having a lot of fun as if they hadn’t just ruined a little boy’s bar mitzvah.

After wrecking that celebration (by either taking the name of a dance literally or just basic science), the duo headed out to the nearest party they could crash to take advantage of the still-young night. While still having fun, Oz decided to ease off on the alcohol. He wanted to a). Remember the night and b). Not wake up wasted in the front door of his home. And that meant no toilet wine whatsoever. Okay… maybe a little bit of toilet wine, at Polly’s plea.

With a stranger’s party successfully crashed, the shadow and the ghost took their leave and went to the streets, walking aimlessly, just talking about anything and everything, exchanging stories and jokes.

Polly was laughing, trying to gain her composure. “Okay, okay. I’ve got another one. You ready?”

Oz was giggling as well. “Shoot.”

“What do you call a ghost’s breasts?”

Oz was slightly taken aback by the setup, but, if anyone knew about a phantom’s bust, it would be Polly. He took a few seconds to think of a genuine answer, but nothing came to mind. “I don’t know, Polly. What do you call them?”

Polly was trying to contain her chuckling before even telling the joke. “Give me a second.” She said between muffled laughter. “Okay, you call them… booobies!” Polly quickly blurted out before erupting into laughter, not being able to contain it anymore. Oz joined her contagious giggling. It wasn’t even that funny, but the amount of alcohol that he consumed was enough to make anything funny. In that moment of euphoria, Oz thought of something.

“Polly…” Oz called out, short of breath.

“Wh…What?”

“Entitties.”

Polly took a moment to make sense of Oz’s response before completely losing it, leaning on the closest wall to prevent her from falling to the floor laughing. She was chuckling so much that she even snorted a few times, Oz noticing it. A quick word flew on his mind: _cute._

The ghost took some deep breaths to calm herself down. “Phew… You crack me up, Oz.” Polly stated.

“Well, you certainly help. Your joy is contagious.” Oz answered back, returning the sentiment. Polly smiled, looking away. And maybe Oz didn’t restrain himself enough, because he thought he had seen her face blush a little, but that was probably just the alcohol. The ghost remained thoughtful for a few beats before facing Oz. She stared him down as if deciding on something. Oz looked away, a bit uncomfortable with the sudden intense eye contact. Just as he was about to question it, he felt something in his hand. Oz looked down to see…

Polly’s transparent hand, holding Oz’s.

His face flushed, with questions flooding his mind. Before he could actually ask anything, Polly answered with a smile.

“I wanna show you something.”

“Wh-Augh!” Oz could only enunciate before being suddenly tugged away by Polly’s hand. He firmly held it and sprinted, trying to not get left behind.

“H-Hey! Slow down, Polly!” Oz quickly picked up the pace, running the same speed as Polly, who was actually floating in the air. “How… How am I even holding your hand?” Oz said, confused about the ghost’s physics.

“Don’t question it!” Polly simply replied, gleefully.

They continued like this for a while, before the ghost took a sharp left, and Oz finally where she was planning on taking him.

The local beach. Oz didn’t visit this place frequently; he wasn’t the biggest fan of sand.

Polly finally started to slow down, until the pair got to a complete stop. The ghost took a seat on the ground and motioned Oz to do the same. He took his own spot on the sand, close to Polly. They both remained in silence until Oz broke it.

“So… Why did you take me here?” Oz inquired, with curiosity, and the only response he got was an upwards motion from Polly’s head. Oz raised his head following the ghost’s answer, and he was immediately met with an amazing view.

Thousands of stars decorated the night sky, with the full moon being the main ornament. Oz couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty of the lights hanging from the firmament. He remembered for a second that Vicky and Scott had planned a date this same night, so Oz betted that that night had been interesting for the both of them, to say the least.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Polly asked beside him, taking him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah…” Oz answered, completely marveled by the sight. “I’ve never seen the night sky like this. Except for the time I went camping with Brian, Vicky, and Amira. I’m pretty sure it looked exactly like this.”

“Camping sounds nice. I would love to go with you.” Polly smiled at Oz, but that same smile turned into a sly look as she continued. “Maybe we could go skinny dipping.”

Oz let out a short laugh, being too tipsy to actually consider the implications of that comment. “I wouldn’t be against that.” He jokingly said, earning Polly’s laugh.

“I can’t believe I’m here right now. If a week ago someone told me I would be going on parties and enjoying moments like this, I wouldn’t have believed them.” As soon as those words left his mouth, a sudden feeling of curiosity rose up. Oz hadn’t really asked the ghost anything about their first encounter.

“Talking about a week ago, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Oz began speaking. “Why _did_ you choose me for… well, all of this?”

“That, I won’t tell you, Ozzy.” Well, so much for expecting an answer. Polly took notice of Oz’s slightly disappointed face. “What? A girl gotta keep her secrets…”

“That’s fair.” Oz said. Polly suddenly put a hand on her mouth and started yawning. “Heh, are you already getting tired, Polly?” Oz teased.

“In your dreams.” Polly answered back, trying to deflect.

“Well, whatever your reasons are… Thank you, Polly. I’ve been having a lot of fun these past few days, and it wouldn’t have been the same without you.” Oz thanked her. He got startled after suddenly feeling something in his shoulder. He turned his face to see…

Polly, with her eyes closed, resting her head on Oz’ shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, Ozzy… I’ve been having fun with you too…” The ghost sleepily muttered. And Oz completely froze.

One thing was sexual comments and innuendos. That, Oz could manage. But physical touch would always fluster him, no matter how much alcohol he ingested. And flustered he was, his usually dark face displaying pink colors, and his chest beating so much that he could hear it.

Oz had no idea what to do in this situation. If anything, he was surprised and flattered that Polly trusted him enough to fall asleep around him.

After the initial shock had passed, he found the moment… enjoyable. Polly’s head was surprisingly soft, and there was just something about her resting face, slightly rising up and descending as she breathed, mimicking the tide of the nearby ocean. Something that made him feel all fuzzy inside. Her lips, her eyes, her hair… Oz had the abrupt desire of kissing the ghost, right then and there. Of course, that would be too sudden. He would know that even if he was completely drunk. But that doesn’t mean that the alcohol wouldn’t give him the courage for something else…

Slowly, but without any hesitation, Oz started moving his head to the side that Polly was resting in. He was feeling a little sleepy too, and Polly was fast asleep, so Oz thought that she wouldn’t mind if he rested on her head too. Even with those reasons on his mind, the tingly feeling increased the closer he got to the ghost.

It wasn’t until he was a few millimeters away, that Polly jerked awake, and would’ve butted heads with Oz if he hadn’t moved his head away.

“Woah… Did I just die for the second time?” Polly asked, genuinely startled.

“No, I think that you just fell asleep.” Oz answered, not entirely sure if she was kidding or not.

“Ah well, sleeping, dying, what’s the difference?” Polly reasoned, and Oz was about to argue… but no words left his mouth. He let out a short laugh, and Polly joined.

Oz’s heart was still beating quickly, him still thinking the last few seconds. And the best part was… that his desire hadn’t disappeared. Oz still wanted to feel Polly’s lips on his. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, and how he wanted to spend more time with her, more than friends would do…

Okay, he couldn’t deny it anymore. Oz had officially fallen in love with Polly.

But he would have to ruminate about that later. His sleepiness had not disappeared either.

“Well, as much as I like being here with you, I don’t want to get home late.” Oz said, the implication of what he said not hitting him until it left his mouth. Polly either didn’t seem to pick it up or she didn’t mind.

“Oh well, it’s a shame that you have to leave so early. The sunrise looks amazing over here! We should see it one day.” Polly claimed, and Oz questioned what did the ghost consider as “early”, seeing as it was almost 2 in the morning. “You don’t mind if I walk with you all the way home, right?”

Oz got up from his spot in the sand. “Let’s go.” Polly followed, and they soon started walking home. They started talking about random topics, and while Oz was listening to her talk, a part of his mind was noticing her hands, and how close they were to his, so desperately wishing to grasp hers. Who knew that something as simple as resting in another’s shoulder would make Oz finally realize his feelings for Polly?

He was like this all the way home, noticing small things about the ghost, like how her ponytail stays almost in place no matter how much she moves, or the way she smiles after she finishes one of her many anecdotes, proud of the parties she had gone to.

After a while of walking and talking, they finally arrived at Oz’s home.

“Well, this is my stop.” Oz announced as he approached the front door. He turned around to start saying goodbye. “Thank you for walking all the way home with me. Honestly, when I start talking with you, it’s hard to stop.” Polly smiled fondly at the compliment. “Got the home all by yourself? Maybe we could have some after-party fun…” It took every ounce of Oz’s will to not be completely startled at Polly’s invitation.

“Even if I didn’t, I’m too tired for something like that.” Oz rejected her invitation, both because he was getting too weary, and because he definitely wouldn’t know what to do in that situation. He didn’t even know what “after party-fun” exactly entailed, but the implications were enough to make him blush. “Maybe next time.” Oz proposed, with fake confidence.

Polly pouted, seemingly disappointed with Oz’s refusal. “Alright… But I’ll hold you to it. Don’t forget it, shadow boy.” With that said, the ghost took a few steps forward, towards Oz, and before he could say anything, Polly got close and placed her lips on his cheek.

And at that moment, time seemed to stop for Oz, and an explosion of emotions took place inside of him. He felt like he was floating like the ghost in front of him, strongly blushing by Polly’s sudden show of affection. Oz even noticed where exactly she had kissed him; while still technically on the cheek, he felt the kiss too close to where his mouth would’ve been if it wasn’t hidden, most likely at the corner of it. Oz was left wondering if that was intentional or if she was just too drunk and just did it wherever she felt like.

If Oz could summarize everything in one word, that word would be _wow_. And he did say that word, in a low voice. Polly heard him, however, and she stepped back, satisfied with Oz’s reaction.

“Don’t you forget it!” She repeated in a loud voice, walking away from Oz while waving goodbye. He almost forgot to wave back, being too dumbfounded to think properly. As he came back to his senses, Oz smiled. “I won’t!” He answered back, and he turned around to finally enter his home.

“I won’t.” Oz repeated under his breath, referring to both the promise he had made, and the whole night. He opened and passed through the door, with only one destination in his mind: his bed. He wasn’t able to walk a few steps, though, before a voice called for him.

“So, how good felt that kiss?” Oz turned around to see the source of said voice: his housemate, Vicky.

Oz took a few seconds to put two and two together and opened his eyes wide as he realized that she had watched the whole scene between him and Polly.

The only thing Oz did was walk over to the couch, take a seat, and put his hands on his face, wishing for the ground beneath him to swallow him alive.

“Ah, c’mon… You’re embarrassed?” Vicky teased. “You can’t even tell me how your night was?”

Oz slowly let his shield against embarrassment (a.k.a., hands) down. “It was… nice.” He smiled fondly as he looked to the ceiling, recalling all the events of the night, all of it up to the kiss. Oz could still remember it, softly touching with his finger the exact place where the ghost had pecked him, his heart still beating as hard as it was a few minutes ago.

“ _Just_ nice?” Vicky pushed the topic more and more, clearly invested in the events that took place. Oz let out a short laugh, too tired to care.

“It was amazing.” Not only because of what had happened but because he had finally lifted a weight off his shoulders.

Oz finally realized that he was in love with Polly. And as the revelation came to him for the second time, he didn’t want to keep his mouth shut.

“I think… No.” Oz corrected himself, not wanting to display any doubt. He didn’t have any. “I love Polly.”

Vicky gasped at his confession. “Oh my god! Congratulations… I guess? I don’t really know how does one react positively to their friend telling them that they discovered their love for someone, other than… Took you long enough!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Everyone saw it coming. But I hadn’t really realized it until tonight.” Oz said, looking at the ceiling, as he drifted away into his thoughts. But he pulled himself together, curious about a topic related to his blue friend. “But enough about my night, how was yours? The other two told me that you went on a date with Scott.” The frankengirl suddenly turned red without any precaution.

“Um… It was… wild, to say the least.” Vicky timidly responded. Oz was perplexed by her behavior until he remembered a certain detail about this night in particular.

“Wait, wasn’t tonight… a full moon?”

“Uh…”

“And didn’t you go to Scott’s house for your date?” Oz was just spit balling, but he connected the dots and came to a conclusion.

Oh. Oh no, they didn’t, did they? Oz opened his eyes wide as he arrived at a conclusion, and Vicky blushed more and more as she realized what he was thinking of.

Yup, they totally did do it.

“Aren’t you getting tired? I’m getting pretty tired.” Vicky quickly spurted out and she faked a yawn, trying to deflect. It did not work. “I’m going to bed, see ya tomorrow! Or today really.” She woke up and quickly walked away.

“I wonder why are you so tired, Vicky. Did you do some cardio with Scott?” Oz teased her. She started walking even quicker, almost running. “Who’s embarrassed now, huh?” Oz teasingly asked before Vicky arrived at her bedroom door and entered, ignoring his questions, and Oz laughed to himself. That topic would totally be brought up tomorrow, and he was gonna make sure of it. Vicky would probably end up hating him. Worth it, though.

Oz stood up and went to his room. He immediately threw himself on his bed, pleased with finally being able to lie down in a place of physical comfort. Oz was so worn down that he didn’t even bother to change clothes, deciding to just close his eyes and let himself drift away in slumber. But not before he got a last look at all the events that had taken place that night. And the ghost that he experienced all those moments with.

Oz smiled fondly as he softly touched the spot where Polly had kissed him.

And that was the last image in his mind before he slumbered.


	6. The stormy days ain't over

“Dude. You’re telling me that 1). She fell soundly asleep on your shoulder, 2). She told you that she wanted to have fun just the two of you, _alone_ , and 3). She gave you a kiss on the cheek, and you still don’t think that Polly likes you back?”

Oz exasperatedly sighed. “It’s not that simple, Amira.”

It was a Thursday evening. The two monsters were sitting at a lunch table in the cafeteria, satiating their hunger between classes, in deep conversation. And of course, the topic of said conversation was, yet again, Oz’s love life.

“What’s ‘not simple’ about that?” Amira asked again, emphasizing with air quotes. “Look Oz, I understand if at first you didn’t believe that she liked you. You two had just started to hang out consistently and nothing was really apparent—to you at least, everyone else thought it was obvious.” She explained. “But now, she’s dropping all of these sudden shows of affection—she even offered to sleep with you—and most important of all: she hasn’t even asked anything in return. Polly is the type of girl that would do anything for a quick fix, and for her to be doing all of this without that condition… She’s totally into you.”

Oz was left in silence as Amira laid every reason in front of him. But he still wasn’t convinced.

“I don’t know Amira. I just…” Oz tried to think of more to say, but nothing came up. “I don’t know.”

“Then what about last night?”

She really brought up last night, huh? Oz didn’t want to recall that memory, mostly because of how embarrassed he was about what happened. But he was forced to if he wanted to make a case for himself.

* * *

_Yesterday was the same as any other. Wake up, get a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go to school. And Oz did all of that with a pain on his arm, just like the one he had been feeling throughout this recent week… But also different. This time it felt… Stronger. More painful._

_As a matter of fact, he hadn’t felt the anomaly in his arm at all in the night before that. Whether it was the alcohol or the happiness of the moment that masked the pain, or if it had really disappeared for the night, he didn’t know. All that he did know is that it was worse now._

_He left for school earlier than the rest of his friends, lying about wanting to do some pending assignments as an excuse. But in reality, he wanted—or rather, needed—some time for himself. Time to think about what he wanted._

_And what he wanted was to ask Polly to the upcoming Prom._

_But would she accept? That was the question. That was the doubt that made that night… Not the best one, to say the least._

_And that doubt remained in his head throughout the whole day. Morning periods, lunch, midday periods, lunch, P.E. class, lunch. Constantly asking himself the same question. Even though he made his best effort to make it seem like it was fine, his mind was a mess._

_The school bell rang for the last time on that day, and the question still hadn’t left Oz’s mind._

_“Hey boo!” Oz jumped excessively in surprise at Polly’s usual greeting. He quickly turned around._

_“Oh, h-hi there Polly. W-what are y-you doing here?” Oz tried to say calmly, but it all came out with a nervous voice. Polly was taken aback by his response, or rather, by how he said it._

_“I just had another party planned for tonight… Hey, is everything alright?” Polly asked with a low voice, almost like she was… worried._

_“Um…” Oz uttered before he quickly answered untruthfully. “Yeah, of course everything is fine, why wouldn’t it be?” He smiled to make his lie more believable, using every ounce of his strength to prevent his smile from faltering. Polly stayed silent for a few moments with a serious stare, like he was looking through Oz._

_“Ok…” Polly answered, regardless of if she bought the lie or not. And judging by the tone of her voice, the mood of the conversation had irreversibly changed. “As I was saying, tonight is gonna be the biggest phase of my science experiments. Are you down?”_

_“You know me, Polly. Of course I am!” Oz tried to confidently say. Polly didn’t respond with the same enthusiasm._

_“Right… Well, I’ll text you the details later. See you until then.” The ghost quickly said goodbye and walked away from Oz. He waved back with a smile until he was sure that Polly couldn’t see him, and he finally let his smile falter. Suddenly, the pain in his arm grew even more, and Oz instinctively brought his hand to the source of said pain._

_Oz had made her feel uncomfortable, hadn’t he?_

_Regardless of that, she had invited him to another party, and of course Oz was gonna attend. He didn’t want to let her down._

_And then the night came. The next phase that Polly was talking about involved crashing a funeral. She said that she wanted to confirm that she could make any party the best one, not just some of them. So, what better proof of that than making a party out of a funeral. They went and executed their plan, with tremendous success. Oz had fun and he could free his mind of his heavy feelings, but those didn’t take too much to come back._

_As per usual, the duo went on to more parties that night, and they ended up in a nightclub. There was a multitude of people dancing to the loud music, hanging out, and drinking as if they hated the shit out of their livers. Oz and Polly took a seat, and they remained in silence until the ghost broke it._

_“Hey, Oz… You’ve been looking kinda down today… Is everything alright?” Polly repeated the question she had made that same morning, with the same worried tone._

_“I have?” Oz asked back, surprised. He was so immersed in his feelings that he didn’t notice how he appeared to others. “I guess I’m just a little tired.”_

_“Hmm…” Polly immersed herself in thought for a few moments. “Aha! I know something that will pick you up. Give me a few minutes, Ozzie.” With that said, she stood up, Oz not knowing where to. As she left, Oz blankly stared at the table in front of him, his thoughts taking more and more place in his mind._

_You fucking idiot._

_Oz turned around at the direction of the voice he suddenly heard. But no one was staring back at him. Whoever said it probably wasn’t saying it to Oz._

_Do you really think she would want to be with you?_

_Oz looked at his side. Okay, that one was too specific to not be directed at him. But no matter where he looked, he didn’t see anyone talking to him. Was someone messing with him? His breathing increased, and so did his anxiousness. And then he realized that that voice wasn’t from anyone in the club._

_It came from the inside._

_And as he realized that, his worldview warped violently, and the bright lights and loud music turned into creeping shadows and hushed whispers._

_Why would she ever want to be with you?_

_Oz frenetically checked his surroundings. He breathed quicker and quicker, and he could hear the heartbeat in his ears._

_You don’t deserve to be with her._

_Oz stood up and started to walk through the shadows, product of his own imagination. Pain emerged from his arm, and he held it as he moved._

_She is too good for you._

_The pain increased exponentially, like never before. Oz held the spot more and more tightly, but to no avail, as the pained continued._

_You know how she is. Good looking, funny, bold._

_In a frenzy, he scanned the whole place for an exit. The many shadows that were surrounding him suddenly started coalescing, increasing in size._

_You’re none of those things, Oz._

_Oz’s eyes focused on the shadow forming in front of him, and, as much as he tried, he could not look away._

_No one would ever want to be with you._

_Oz was in complete shock. The only thing his body let him do was slowly step back, trying to get away from this living nightmare. The pain in his arm grew more and more, as if it was burning from the inside._

_You’re worthless, Oz._

_His eyes started to tear up. It was as if the shadow itself was communicating with him. Oz stepped back more and more, still trying to get away. He felt like his arm was about to explode from the pain._

**_Utterly worthless._ **

****

_*Crash*_

_“Hey, what the fuck?”_

_Everything stopped when he heard an actual voice from the club, addressing him. Oz noticed that he had walked quite the distance from where he had stood up._

_“Are you going to just ignore me?”_

_Oz turned around and saw a big, burly figure. He couldn’t remember anything about them, other than the fact that they were drunk, they were not someone he knew and they were very, very pissed._

_“Yeah, I’m talking to you, wimp! You made me drop my fucking drink!”_

_Oz tried to explain, but no coherent words came out. Only blabbering._

_“What do you want to say!? Do you want to fight!?” The big monster was getting more and more furious._

_“N-no! I-I…” In this instance, Oz would either try to defuse the situation, run away, or in more extreme cases, use his powers in self-defense. But he wasn’t able to do any of that, being too shocked by his previous hallucinations to really take action._

_“You think this is funny, don’t you!? I’ll beat you to a fucking pulp!” The aggressive monster was winding back a punch, and Oz was only able to cover his face with his hands, in defense._

_“HEY!”_

_*Crash*_

_“Agh-! “_

_Oz could hear the monster stumble back, after letting out a scream of pain. He let down his hands to see what had happened. The monster was supporting themselves in the closest table, with a thread of blood pouring out of their head. There was glass all over the floor._

_“You fucking bitch!” The monster growled._

_Oz looked at his side to see the ghost that had left him alone in the table a few minutes ago. Polly floated through the air, levitating another glass, in case she needed to break it over the monster’s head again._

_“Stay. Away. From him.” The ghost said, without showing any hesitation or desire to back down._

_The monster stood up and scoffed. “Wow, what a coward. His own girlfriend has to come up and save his ass.” Oz didn’t even have the energy to correct them._

_“I’m not repeating myself.” Polly said, ignoring the monster’s comment._

_They scoffed again. “Whatever.” And with that, they left Polly’s sight. Throughout all that, the party raged on, either because the music was too loud for someone to hear or because everyone was too drunk to care._

_Polly immediately turned around to Oz, letting the glass drop to the floor. “Oh my god, Oz, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”_

_Oz only said seven words._

_“I’m going to get some fresh air.”_

_And he turned around, finally having located the exit to the place._

_As soon as he left, Oz leaned against the nearest wall, and took a deep breath, finally calming himself. He looked up at the night sky and kept breathing deeply. Soon enough, he heard the sound of steps getting near him, until they got to a complete stop, right in front of him._

_“Are you… feeling any better?” A ghostly voice asked._

_“I don’t know.” Oz simply said. He took a deep sigh. “I think I’ve had enough partying for the night, Polly. I’m going home.”_

_“I’m going with you.”_

_Oz was genuinely surprised. “What? No, you don’t have to, you can stay and keep having fun.”_

_“That was not a question, Oz.” Polly said, determined._

_“But- “_

_“I can party another time. Right now, you’re more important.”_

_You’re more important._

_Those words stuck with him._

_Seeing as the ghost was not willing to back down, Oz didn’t protest. “Alright.”_

_Oz started walking, and the ghost followed by his side. They stayed in silence for a while._

_“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Polly broke the quiet with her question._

_Oz took a few moments to answer, as he wasn’t entirely sure of what happened. He was only sure that it did happen._

_“I don’t know… I guess a panic attack or something.” Oz threw a guess. “I felt like I was being overwhelmed by everything. I felt like I was suffocating. Next thing I know, I’ve bumped into this burly monster and they want to rip my head off. Thanks for saving me, by the way.”_

_“No problem. I would never let anyone hurt you.”_

_I would never let anyone hurt you._

_Second phrase to stick with him for the night._

_They walked a few more steps, and Polly continued the conversation._

_“Do you know what caused it?”_

_“I don’t…” Oz was deciding between pretending like he was unknowing of the situation or telling the truth. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He reached a middle point._

_Polly gave a nod of understanding, and the conversation fell in silence yet again, but this time it kept going for more than a while. And the more they remained in complete quiet, the more the tension grew, or at least that was what Oz felt._

_Once they were getting near his house, Oz took a deep breath and spoke up._

_“I’m sorry, Polly.”_

_“Sorry for what?” She asked back._

_“What do you mean for what!?” Oz snapped. “I ruined the fucking night, and it’s all my fault.”_

_“You haven’t ruined anything, Oz.”_

_“But I have!” Oz protested. “If I hadn’t had a panic attack in the middle of the fucking club, you would still be enjoying the night. But no.” Oz kicked a nearby pebble. “I had to mess everything up. Like I always do.” Having released all that pent up anger, Oz took a sit on the sidewalk and burrowed his head between his knees._

_He was ashamed. Of his behavior, of the consequence of his actions…_

_Of his feelings._

_Oz felt a supportive palm on his back. He lifted his head up and saw that Polly had taken a seat right beside him._

_“Oz, don’t blame yourself for your feelings. That was out of your control.” Polly softly said._

_“If I had told you that I wasn’t okay, maybe you could’ve helped me…”_

_“Those types of things are hard to admit. I can’t blame you for that.” Polly argued._

_“I suppose you’re right.” Oz stayed in silence, debating if he should say it or not._

_But the side of him that wanted to confess won. “It’s prom.”_

_“Huh?” Polly asked at Oz’s ambiguous declaration._

_“This, all of it, is happening because of prom. This isn’t new.” Oz let his thoughts out. “I’ve been feeling like this since last week. It was in fact, right before our first encounter in the bathrooms.”_

_“Oh… Damn, now I feel even worse for pranking you.”_

_“It’s okay, I’ve already moved past it.” Oz said, and he continued explaining. “I’ve been feeling so worried about prom. I’m afraid to, well, ‘fail’ prom. I thought I would be fine going on my own, but as that date approached, those feelings started getting worse.”_

_Oz took a pause to calm himself. “It honestly feels stupid. Like, deep down, prom is just a night like any other. But I’ve been having these thoughts that tell me that I will be alone for the rest of my life.”_

_“I honestly never could’ve known that you had so much baggage, Oz.” Polly sensibly said._

_“Well, those thoughts kinda disappeared every time you were around. You are so fun to hang out with, you help me get my mind off my problems. I guess it was a blessing in disguise that you decided to make me your party pal.” Oz thanked her, even though he still didn’t know her reasons._

_“Your welcome for that. I really never knew you were dealing with so much.”_

_“It wasn’t a lot initially. Last night I thought I was finally free from those feelings, but this day it was ten times worse, and I couldn’t hide it anymore.” Oz explained. “To sum it up, I basically feel like shit. I feel worthless.” Oz looked down in shame._

_The hand that was previously on his back moved all the way up to the back of his neck. Her voice called his name._

_“Oz.” He looked to the side, and then the hand on his neck moved to his cheek, cupping it._

_“You aren’t worthless.” Polly smiled fondly, and Oz blushed. “I wasn’t the only one who made these past several nights unforgivable. You have given me some really great ideas, and they’ve all worked! You’re really smart, Oz.” Oz could only stare at Polly’s light blue eyes._

_“And you were willing to help me with everything. You helped me with all these crazy ideas of mine… You’re a really good friend, Oz.” As he heard Polly’s truthful words, Oz started to tear up, this time from happiness._

_“And most of all, you matter. Not only to me. It looks like Brian, Amira and Vicky appreciate your presence, more than I do. They care about you.”_

_And with her speech finished, Oz finally smiled back, putting his hand on top of the hand that was still placed on his cheek._

_He stood up and wiped away a tear from his face. “Thank you, Polly.”_

_“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy seeing you happy.”_

_They walked the short distance left over to Oz’s house. Oz stood still for a few seconds in front of the door before suddenly hugging Polly. The ghost was a bit surprised, but she returned the hug. “Thank you.” Oz repeated, sniffing. He pulled apart, and wiped more tears off his face._

_As Polly started walking away, she began to speak. “You know Oz; I don’t know if you’re gonna end up asking anyone for Prom, but if you do…” She turned around. “They would be lucky to be your couple for the night.” The ghost winked, and she waved goodbye. Oz waved back, starting to think about the implications of her words. But he decided that he had thought enough for the night. He went to his bedroom and got some well-deserved sleep._


	7. True like fire

“Do you really have to bring that up?” Oz said, annoyed at Amira. That wasn’t the most pleasant memory to be recalling. Oz brought a hand to his arm and scratched it for the nth time of that day.

The lump that had been terrorizing him for the past couple of days had returned once again, much to Oz’s contempt. But it wasn’t pain that it caused this time.

This morning, Oz had woken up with an itch, rather. An itch that kept annoying him throughout most of the school day. An itch that no matter how much he scratched, it didn’t go away. And with that irritation came an equally annoying thought. It wasn’t strong enough to shift his whole mood but it still carved itself in the back of his mind, coming back every now and then. And being the day that it was, that ‘now and then’ was pretty frequent. But what day was it, you may be asking? It was Thursday. The day before Prom, to be more specific.

Oz was stuck thinking about asking Polly to Prom, and the consequences of doing so. I know, shocking.

Seeing almost everybody else ask someone and being asked to Prom, including his three closest friends, made his itch grow stronger.

“Yes, I had to. And I’m not talking about what happened at the club, I’m specifically referring to Polly’s actions. She _left_ the party for you.” Amira emphasized and took a few seconds to make her statement sink in before she continued. “You do know why I’m saying that, right?”

Oz sighed. “Because Polly never leaves…”

“Because Polly never leaves a party!” Amira finished his words. “She’s the life of the party! If a party exists, you can bet your ass she’s gonna be there. But for her to leave one of them for you… Maybe it’s not love, but you’re at least really important to her.”

Oz looked away from his friend, ashamed. Even though he didn’t have a rebuttal for Amira’s claims, he wasn’t willing to admit it.

Amira kept staring at Oz, hoping for an answer. After receiving silence in return, she sighed, firmly put both of her hands on Oz’s shoulders and bluntly said:

“You’re a pussy.”

Oz immediately looked at Amira with a look of offended surprise. I mean, she was right, even if he wasn’t vocally agreeing with her, but she didn’t need to rub it in his face.

“Let me finish.” Amira said before Oz let a word out. “I understand why you would be afraid. Polly seems like this amazing girl at first glance, and she is. And because of that, you may think that you have no chance with her. But you have to understand, you are way past first glances! She came to you, she asked you to help her, and you have gone on so many parties together, that I would call them dates.”

“So what? Just because I’ve partied with her a couple of times with her, does that means she loves me?” Oz asked back.

“That’s not what I meant and you know that. I’m not saying she’s infatuated with you. I’m just saying that, judging by her actions, a fire inside of her could kindle.” Amira ignited a small flame on her hand and showed it to Oz. “A fire for you.”

And instead of looking ashamed at the side, or ignoring her words, Oz kept staring at the lively flame.

Maybe… No. Not maybe. Amira was right. Oz had let himself wallow in self-pity and doubt for far too long.

Amira smiled with satisfaction, somehow knowing that her words had finally gone through Oz. She grabbed his shoulders again but with a different intent this time.

“So,” Amira turned the fire in her finger off. “What are you going to do?”

Oz remained in silence for a few seconds. Oz had gone through so much with the ghost. He had been vulnerable around her. Everything that could’ve gone wrong that night went wrong.

But she didn’t leave him. Polly was always by his side. She really did care about him, huh? How was Oz not able to see it until now? He shot a confident look.

“I’m going to ask Polly to Prom.”

“Speak louder!” Amira demanded. “What are you going to do!?”

Oz was slightly startled at the sudden rise of her voice, but he wasn’t going to stay quiet. Not anymore.

“I am going to ask her to Prom!” Oz repeated, louder.

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” At this point, Amira was basically screaming. A few monsters in the cafeteria had turned their attention to the ruckus that Amira and Oz were causing. But neither of them cared, being too caught up in the hype.

“I’M GOING TO ASK POLLY TO PROM!”

“THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Amira turned Oz around and gave him a push towards the exit of the cafeteria. “GO GET SOME GHOST ASS!” She continued to cheer him on. Oz walked away to begin his search of the ghost, full of confidence and with a clear intention in his mind. But his moment of determination halted to a stop, as he realized something. Oz retraced his steps towards Amira.

“Do you know where Polly is?”

Amira simply gave a shrug in response.

“Shit.” Oz mumbled under his breath.

He had realized that he had no idea where the ghost might be. Oz left the cafeteria to resume his search, while Amira quietly chuckled and wished him good luck.

* * *

Loud steps resonated throughout the school’s hallways. Oz was running as fast as he could, checking every place he went through, in search of Polly. A memory came back to him as he sprinted, one from days ago, where everything had started. Back then he was running away, out of fear, out of doubt. But not anymore. Now, he had something to run toward. Something to look up to.

Near the lockers he saw Brian and Vicky talking, probably about their partners for prom, Oz presumed. He approached them, almost out of breath.

“Hey… have you… seen Polly? Oz said, between heavy pants.

Brian and Vicky exchanged a quick look before the latter answered.

“I last saw her by the bathrooms, but that was like half an hour ago. She could be everywhere.”

“Damn it.” Oz cursed under his breath.

“Why are you looking for…?” Brian was going to ask, but Oz had already picked up the pace, sprinting away. He wanted to find her as soon as he could.

As he disappeared from his sight, Brian raised another question. “Is he going to ask…”

“It looks like it.” Vicky answered before the zombie finished, knowing exactly what he was going to ask. Brian sighed.

“Fucking finally. I was going to strangle him if he didn’t end up asking her to prom.”

Vicky chuckled. “Yeah, we all saw it coming.”

Oz kept running and running, this time towards Polly’s last known location, the bathrooms. More memories came back as he arrived at the place where the two of them had interacted for the first time. He remembered how annoyed he felt when Polly messed with him, and how he reluctantly exchanged numbers with her, just being completely done with that situation. Oz wondered for an instant what would have happened if he just had completely rejected her. He probably wouldn’t feel as confident as he did right now. He probably would have kept his problems all by himself, keeping it all inside until it all exploded, sooner or later.

Oz shook his head to dismiss the depressing alternative and resume his search. He reminded himself to ask her why had she chose him again, to see if he could get an actual answer this time.

Polly was nowhere to be found near the bathrooms. He left the place and searched for her in other locations of the school.

Library? Not there.

Outdoors? No party to be found, no Polly.

Auditorium? Closed, but Oz checked the windows in case that she was secretly doing drugs or something. No sight of the ghost.

Classroom? I feel like the answer is obvious.

As he went to check again over the lockers, the school bell ringed, notifying the end of the day. Alas, he wasn’t able to find her. Oz finally took a pause to catch his breath.

Where the hell was Polly? Had she already ditched? Damn it, Oz had just now built up his courage, and she had left.

“I guess I can always ask her through text…” Oz spoke to himself. “But it just doesn’t feel the same.”

“Ask what?” He heard a voice behind him, and he suddenly felt a pair of arms embracing him in a hug from behind.

“Polly?” Oz asked and looked back, even though he already knew it was her.

“Hey boo!” Polly greeted, and she then proceeded to kiss the blob on his left shoulder, it bringing his little hands to his face, blushing, and she affectionately scratched the head of the blob on his right shoulder. “I missed these little guys!” Oz just smiled, being observant of how much affectionate she had gotten over the days.

“Oh, and you too Ozzie, of course!” Polly ruffled his hair in good will.

“Where were you?” Oz asked as Polly broke the hug.

“I was just hiding. I heard you were looking for me, so I wanted to surprise you! Nobody gets the jump on me.”

“I guess I can’t win against a ghost in that.” The two monsters laughed.

“So, what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

Okay, it all came down to this moment. He had been preparing for like, half an hour since Amira cheered him up, but he was still ready.

“I was… just wondering if…” Oz’s words trailed off.

Even with the determination that he had built up, this wasn’t the easiest thing to say. But he pushed through it, not willing to let his words die in his mouth. He steeled himself, now truly ready to ask the question.

“Polly, do you want to go to Prom with me?” As the words left his mouth, his heartbeat exponentially increased. This was the moment he had been waiting for. It was hard to believe that a week ago, Oz had no real intention of taking anyone to Prom. Some plans can change quickly.

“What? Prom?” Polly asked, and Oz’s heart skipped a beat, an instant of fear entering his mind as the ghost raised her question. But her response knocked that fear away. “Of course!” Oz immediately smiled, a feeling of joy inside of him replacing his previous one.

“Prom night will be another perfect opportunity to conduct our experiments in party science!”

Oh. Well, that’s not what Oz had meant…

“So clever of you! That’s why you’re my favorite science partner! Well, you’ve been my only one, but it’s the thought that counts.” She shot a wink at him.

…But sure, why not? Even if that wasn’t Oz’s original intention, he still was able to keep on partying with the ghost. And it was still a yes, so, there wasn’t really an issue there.

“Awesome!” Oz exclaimed, not even attempting to hide his excitement. Why would he? “Well then, see you there, ghostie! You know, like ghost and bestie?” Oz awkwardly said, trying to come up with a nickname for Polly on the spot, seeing as she already had one for him.

Not enough confidence is an issue, but too much of it is a problem as well.

“Ok, that doesn’t really roll out of the tongue…” Oz scratched the back of his head, mildly embarrassed. Polly just snorted, containing her laughter.

“You tried, and that’s what matters. Even if you failed.” Polly teased him and Oz chuckled, not being offended by her comment.

“I guess I need to step up my name game.” Oz playfully responded. “Well, I gotta go. See you at Prom!” Oz properly said goodbye as he walked away.

“See you Oz! Prepare yourself, because this is going to be the greatest night of your life!” Polly informed him.

“I don’t doubt it.” Oz answered back, and he finally left the ghost’s sight. He walked out of the school, full of excitement and joy.

A week ago, he wasn’t giving any attention to prom, deeming it irrelevant and not worth it.

Now he had a great night to look forward to.

And it was going to be the best one.

* * *

And so the night came.

Oz was leaning on a wall outside the gym’s doors, where prom night was taking place. He could hear loud music and people talking. But he wasn’t paying any attention to that. Oz was waiting for the ghost, of course. He wasn’t going to start the party without her, that would be disrespectful.

Even though it was prom night, Oz was wearing more casual attire compared to the rest of the monsters. He was left wondering if he should wear formal, but he decided against it, since Oz knew they weren’t planning on slow dancing (unless it involved drugs) and drinking punch (unless it involved drugs). Still, it would’ve been nice, Oz thought.

Damn, where the hell was she? Oz had been waiting for Polly for almost half an hour and she still had not arrived. Polly wouldn’t want to miss the party, right? And then, an unshakable feeling entered Oz’s body, sending shivers down his spine. But it wasn’t anything that he had ever felt before. This was new.

And Oz smiled as he realized what—or rather who—was the cause of that feeling.

“Polly, I know you’re there.” A few seconds after Oz called her out, the ghost he was waiting for appeared.

“You took less time to notice than I thought you would.”

Oz shrugged. “What can I say? You’re getting predictable, Polly.”

Polly pouted at his comment, pretending to be offended. “Oh, you’re gonna say that, huh? Alright, I’ll show you predictable, Oz.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say…” Oz teased her even more. “Now, are we crashing this party or not?”

Polly smiled. “I thought you would never ask.” Oz smiled back.

And with that said, the duo simultaneously opened the two gym doors, and the party had officially started.


	8. When it's all over I'll let you know

Prom night came and went quicker than expected. Or maybe it was Oz’s severely warped sense of time that made him think that. Well, you know what they say: Time flies when you’re having fun.

And having fun would be an understatement if used to describe what happened that night.

Freeing wild animals, awakening the dead, doing lots of ecstasy, those were the things that Oz could remember from the top of his head. And also dancing with T-Rexes, but that might’ve been a product of the previously mentioned lots of ecstasy.

Everything felt perfect.

Oz felt like Polly and he had conquered the night and put a flag with their names on the peak of life itself.

Oz suddenly found himself on the same beach that Polly and he were at a few nights ago. He didn’t remember getting there, but who cares?

Polly was talking to him. “See? I told Vera that Mr. T-Rex existed! In her face!”

“Well, to be honest, there was more than one T-Rex at that party. Maybe there is more than one Mr. T-Rex. Or maybe none of them were.”

Polly laughed. “Well, as long as they are a T-Rex and a mister, I’m satisfied.”

Her laugh faded away and they were left enjoying the moment, enjoying the few last minutes of the night that were left. Any moment with the ghost was pleasant, whether they were partying hard, or just watching the night sky in silence. Oz took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind and choose his next set of words.

“Thank you, Polly.”

“Your welcome, Oz.” The poltergeist immediately answered. “But, uh… What exactly are you thanking me for?”

“Well, where do I even begin?” Oz shortly laughed, thinking about all the things he was thankful for. “For everything. Last week, I felt so… aimless? I didn’t know what to do. I was feeling a lot of complicated emotions and what I thought I felt wasn’t what I actually felt. I was confused about what I wanted out of this night… Until you came along.” Oz smiled and turned his face towards her, staring directly at her grey-blue eyes.

“I mean, sure, our first encounter wasn’t the most pleasant, but you helped me clear my mind. In every party we attended, I was genuinely having fun. Even on that one when I messed up, you were quick to understand and hearten me.”

“Oz… I already told you, you didn’t mess anything up.” Polly frowned.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Oz corrected himself. “The point is… You’ve helped me untangle all of these knots in my mind. I don’t know how could I repay you for how much you have done. I guess you’ve finally made me feel better. And I would love to continue feeling better with you.” Oz blurted that last part out without thinking about what exactly that meant. Luckily for him, the ghost didn’t seem to mind.

“Aww, Oz…” Polly smiled with a faint blush, Oz not knowing if it was because of the liters of alcohol consumed or because she was genuinely touched by his words. “Don’t worry about that. The only thing you need to do to repay me is to go to more parties with me.”

Oz laughed. “I don’t see any problem with that.” As long as he was able to continue having fun with her, it was all fine with Oz.

But was it because of the parties or because of the ghost at his side?

Well, of course it was because of Polly, why did the question even cross his mind? Sure, the parties that he had attended to during the past couple of days were nothing to dismiss. But it wouldn’t have been the same without her. Damn, Oz probably wouldn’t have even gone to any parties if it wasn’t for Polly inviting him.

But, did Polly feel the same? Was these past couple of days something as special for her as it was for Oz, or was it just another night?

That thought remained in his head for a few moments before he closed his eyes and chuckled in a low voice, dismissing it. Did it matter? Oz had fun, and he just had the best night of his life yet. He didn’t need to know details like those. Oz was happy, and that’s all that mattered.

“What’s so funny?” Polly asked, noticing Oz’s quiet laugh.

“Oh? Oh no, nothing…” Oz was about to evade the question, but he suddenly remembered something that he did want to know. Something that Polly hadn’t answered the night he asked.

“It’s just… I’m still wondering, why me? There are so many people dying to join a party with you—and I’m not saying it as a manner of speech, they are literally killing themselves in the hopes of becoming a ghost to bypass the limits of their organic bodies.”

“Oz… What part of ‘a girl gotta keep her secrets’ did you not understand? I ain’t telling.”

Damn it.

“Besides, those people party around me, not with me. There’s a difference.” As Polly clarified, Oz was struck with an idea.

He suddenly extended his arm towards Polly with his palm up, and closed his eyes to concentrate. Most of the time they came out on their own, but Oz could manifest his power to force one of them out if he needed.

“Are you asking me to hold it, or…?” Polly asked, referring to his open hand.

“Ah, I-Uh…” Oz stuttered, taken aback by her question. Was he really just able to ask that if he wanted to? He didn’t linger on that, focused on his previous plan. “Just give me a few seconds.”

And right as he said that, one of Oz’s phobias popped out of his palm, confused as to why it was present.

“Oz…? What are you doing…?” Polly asked with an arched eyebrow, having a slight clue as to what was he planning.

“C’mon Polly… How are you gonna say no to this little guy?” The little guy in question understood Oz’s words and turned around to Polly with a sad, exaggerated frown.

“Oh no. No no no no no.” Polly finally understood what Oz was trying to do. She turned around, but she couldn’t let her sight away from the phobia. “You _cannot_ do that.”

“Who says that I can’t? It’s my phobia, after all.” Oz said with a smug face, knowing that his plan was working. “C’mon…” Oz kept nudging, bringing his hand closer to Polly’s face.

His hand was finally at Polly’s eye level, and Polly was able to see how the phobia brought a hand to its face and shed a tear. That was too much for her.

“Ugh, fine!” Polly groaned, and her face turned into a pout as Oz laughed at her side with satisfaction. “Hanging out with Scott has made me weak to puppy eyes… That was dirty of you, Oz.”

“What can I say? Sometimes I gotta play dirty, especially with you.”

“Someday I’ll show you what playing dirty truly means, Oz.” Polly said with a nasty smile, almost feeling like a threat. And Oz tried to hold back his blushing as hard as he could, taken aback by the sudden innuendo.

“Well, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh, ok?”

Oz shot her a look of confusion. “Why would I…”

“Just promise me.” The ghost interrupted him.

“Ok, ok, I promise.”

“Alright.” Polly sighed. “I can feel the energy of a party, that’s the best way I can explain it. I mean, you know me, there’s no good party where I’m not in, right?” Polly asked and Oz gave a noise of agreement. “Well, that’s because I—figuratively and literally—gravitate towards parties of any kind. I’m attracted to them, it’s like… an instinct of mine. I must’ve inherited that from when I was alive… It’s just how I am; you know?” Oz agreed once again, wondering where this was going.

“Well, that instinct is not limited to social situations. I can also feel the energy of other people. Vera, Scott, Damien, Miranda, Liam… I can, like… _know_ how well they would excel at a party. But there was someone’s energy that had been catching my attention for weeks… Yours.”

“What?”

“Yeah!” Polly let out a short laugh. “I was pretty confused about it too. I mean, you don’t really make that much of an impression, and I’m guessing you don’t really like to be the center of attention, since you never were once. I mean, in this school is hard to _not be_ the center of attention.”

“Well yeah, I guess I don’t really like to stand out.” Oz said, questioning how true that statement since he started hanging out with the ghost.

“So I studied you from afar and decided to not question my gut and invite you to some parties, to see how you performed, which was part of the project I was planning.”

“But wait.” Oz interrupted her story to make a question. “If my energy had caught your attention so much, how did you not notice when I was in the bathroom way back when we first met?”

“Well, about that… I didn’t” Polly confessed. “If I hadn’t seen your feet below the stall door, I never would’ve noticed you were there.”

“But how?”

“Here’s the thing about party energy; it’s not constant. Obviously, you don’t feel the same desire to party every time. Except if you are me, of course.” Polly smugly smiled, proud of her popularity as the party ghost. “So that day, you must’ve been feeling like shit for me to not notice you. Which makes me feel all the guiltier for what I did back then.” She looked at the side with remorse.

“Well, I _was_ feeling like shit that day.” Oz said without thinking, and he saw how Polly’s remorse intensified. He quickly thought of something to save the conversation. “To be fair, apart from that one time, you have been more sensible and understanding than I thought you would be. I’m actually kind of surprised, I wasn’t expecting you to be so emotionally intelligent.”

“Well, that’s a little backhanded…” Polly muttered. “But I guess we both surprised each other, huh?”

“Yeah…” The duo fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Oz decided to change the topic.

“So… Did I meet your expectations?”

“What? Of course you did, why would you even ask?” Polly smiled in response.

“I was just wondering.” Oz simply said.

“Those parties wouldn’t have been the same without you there, you know? You had great ideas for every step of my research, and you helped me with so much. I know I’m usually the heart of every party, but you did a lot too. And also, you’re really fucking smart, which is important for science, I guess.”

“You really think so?” Oz felt somewhat sheepish after how much the ghost praised him. “T-thanks…”

And the conversation fell in silence once again. But this was a better silence, more pleasant than the one before. As the seconds passed where neither of the monsters said a word, the sky started changing. Slowly, but surely, the sun started rising from the ocean, accompanied by the previously dark blue atmosphere turning into a warm hue.

It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. The combination of colors, old and new, and the gentle tide of the ocean, reflecting the mix of hues above it…

Oz wished for this moment to never end. And even if that wish wouldn’t turn true—because of, you know, the existence of time—another wish of his was fulfilled, even if it was nights ago when he had thought of that.

Oz felt a gentle touch on his hand. He looked down to see another transparent hand on top of his. Polly’s hand. Oz started feeling all fuzzy on the inside. Before he could even ask anything, Polly looked at him and started talking.

“I think I finally figured it out, Oz. All of these parties have been wildly different, yet all of them have been the very best. I’ve put a lot of thought into it, and I can only think of one thing they all had in common…” Polly let her words trail off as she kept staring at Oz’s eyes. His heartbeat accelerated, and his eyes widened once he deduced what the ghost was trying to say.

“I think the formula to a perfect party must be sharing it with the right people. And this is not the molly talking.” Polly smiled.

Silence fell once again, and neither monster did anything to break it. Oz’s questions from moments ago vanished after Polly finished her words. There was nothing more to say. There were no more words needed. His face softened into a fond smile, silently thanking the ghost for everything.

But there was one more thing that Oz wanted to do, and he had the confidence now to do it.

Oz slowly slipped his fingers between Polly’s hand, wanting to interlock his hand with hers. He looked down as he did this, and the ghost didn’t protest. Oz looked up to see her face, just to know if there was any show of discomfort or rejection. But the only thing that he saw on her face was a smile of genuine happiness. She didn’t have any problem with this.

A small phobia spawned from Oz’s backhand and proceeded to hug one of Polly’s fingers.

She let out a small ‘aww’ as a reaction and faced forwards to continue watching the rising sun. Oz kept staring at her, reflecting on everything that had happened. He was truly lucky to have such an amazing person at his side. And as the skies were being painted orange and the ghost held his hand a little tighter, he realized.

He finally felt better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading all the way to the end! I really appreciate it and I hope that you enjoyed the fic all the way through. I would appreciate it more if you left a comment down below saying what you liked about it (if you so desire, of course). I'm always open to feedback.
> 
> I wanna give special thanks to some of the folks at the monster prom official discord server, which I shared an earlier version of the fic. for the feedback on my fic while I was writing it. You people know who you are ;)
> 
> Wow, that was quite a ride to write. I can't tell you how many times I spelled Brian as "Brain" on accident. Kinda frustrating, not gonna lie lol
> 
> Also, fun fact: This was (and technically speaking, is) supposed to be a one shot, but the more I let my words flow, the more I thought "Yeah... I better separate this into chapters."
> 
> I have a twitter too, if you're interested in my future works. I'll definitely write more monster prom fics, it's such a fun game that I really enjoy. I might even begin to draw fanart! So, if you wanna see all of that (plus normal shitposting and memes), consider giving me a follow! https://twitter.com/Kantinatorr
> 
> And with that said, I hope you have a great morning/day/evening/afternoon/night! See you on the next one!


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